Behind Enemy Lines
by Gallicus
Summary: Three years ago an off world mission went terribly wrong. General O'Neill and Lt. Colonel Carter fell into the clutches of two unknown Goa'uld and have not been heard from since...
1. Three Years On

**Behind Enemy Lines**

SUMMARY: Three years ago an off world mission went terribly wrong. General O'Neill and Lt. Colonel Carter fell into the clutches of two unknown Goa'uld and have not been heard from since ...  
WARNINGS: Angst, AU, Drama, Future Season, Romance  
PAIRINGS: Sam/Pete, Sam/Jack  
SEASON: Season Eight  
SPOILERS: Anything up to 814 "Citizen Joe" is fair game, especially 202 "In The Line Of Duty", 211 "The Tok'Ra", 212 "The Tok'Ra Part Two", 215 "The Fifth Race", 222 "Out Of Time", 604 "Frozen", 606 "Abyss", 715 "Chimera", 806 "Affinity", 817 "Threads" and 901 "Avalon"  
DISCLAIMER: **Stargate SG-1** and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author.  
THANKS: To my beta reader for this chapter, Christy Newman

xxx

**ONE: Three Years On**

P3X-327  
February 20th, 2005  
1734 hrs

Jack and Sam could hear each other screaming out loud in fear and in pain as the two Goa'uld parasites made themselves hosts in their respective bodies.

SGC  
April 9th, 2008  
0657 hrs

Doctor Daniel Jackson was in a fairly bad mood. Before the events of P3X-327, most of the staff based at the SGC in Colorado would have attributed to such a bad mood in the morning to a lack of sleep, a lack of coffee, or more than likely: both. Either that or General O'Neill had been needling the younger man in order to get a rise out of him and some brief entertainment as the two argued over a pointless topic. Today however the good Doctor was benefiting from both plenty of rest and a good amount of coffee.

The archaeologist's bad mood stemmed from one simple thing. General O'Neill and Lt. Colonel Carter had been missing for three years and in that time no new leads had arisen that could have led to a possible recovery of the two missing USAF officers. Hence a three-year bad mood and the majority of the base avoiding him when they could.

Jackson scowled at a passing air man as he stalked down the corridor towards the briefing room where most of SG-1 was already seated. In the past Daniel had had a habit of turning up to things late, like mission briefings, mission debriefings, and mission departures. Since the forced change in personnel wrought by the loss of O'Neill and Carter, Doctor Jackson had turned up on time to everything lest he be removed from SG-1, which stood as his only opportunity to find his missing friends.

Pushing open the door to the briefing room a little harder than necessary Daniel strode into the room and dropped into an empty seat next to Teal'c. Putting his coffee cup and pile of papers on the table Daniel sized up the current mood of the two other SG-1 members who sat opposite him and the Jaf'fa.

Colonel John Falstaff was a gruff old school marine. His bark was worse than O'Neill's had been, yet he didn't have the bite to really back it up. What had made serving with Falstaff these past three years a huge burden for Daniel was his completely non relaxed attitude while serving on a mission. Jack on the other hand, while remaining vigilant and constantly assessing things for threat value, had made the effort to keep things informal enough so that Daniel hadn't felt like he had been drafted. Instead, most of the outings with SG-1 had felt like his old digs back on Earth.

Falstaff had proven himself as someone who got the job done, but it all felt mechanical and forced to the archaeologist. Daniel sometimes wondered exactly what Teal'c felt about the Colonel, especially given the Jaf'fa had joined the Tau'ri not because of the SGC but because of something he had seen in Jack.

Major Christopher Williams was Air Force, and Daniel was amused to find that he somehow thought that that was an improvement on being a marine. Jack had obviously rubbed off on him. Chris was better about building the team dynamic than Falstaff was, and although it had taken a lot of time and effort on his part, Chris was now included in activities that Daniel and Teal'c indulged in outside of the mountain. Daniel was thankful that the man had eventually proven to be a good friend as, more often than not, Jackson had needed a go between when trying to communicate something important to Falstaff.

Pulling his thoughts back to the mission at hand Daniel cast his mind over what he knew of P4X-607, the destination of SG-1's latest mission. There were several ruins of interest which the UAV had spotted and no signs of current Goa'uld activity which would have led to the scrubbing of the mission before it had even started. For Falstaff and Williams, it would be something of a boring mission and Teal'c would take the usual stoic Jaf'fa route and not complain about the lack of action. While P4X-607 looked like a quiet run through the gate, Daniel hoped, as he did before every mission, that this would be the world on which he and Teal'c found a clue as to the fate of their former team mates.

General Landry walked into the briefing room and there was no more time for idle hopes. It was time to work and keep his right to a place on SG-1.

P4X-607  
1234 hrs

The team had been on the planet for little over four and half hours now and Falstaff and Williams were engaged in some two-handed card game while Teal'c prowled the outskirts of the ruins. Daniel had been almost willing to call it quits on the ruins when he'd uncovered some writings of the Ancients which suggested that some powerful artefacts might still be hidden within the ruins somewhere. Williams had contacted the SGC with the information just before they'd sat down to lunch half an hour ago.

Idly chewing on an energy bar in order to remove the taste of the Cheese & Macaroni MRE from his mouth, Daniel looked up into the blue sky and spared a thought for Jack and Sam. Were they dead? In his heart of hearts he felt that they were still alive, but reality suggested that perhaps they were dead. In some ways that 'reality' was the more comforting idea to hang on to because if they weren't dead then the only probable use the Goa'uld would have had for the pair of Air Force officers would have been as hosts. The temptation to try and control the knowledge of the Ancients and the Tok'Ra would have been too great an opportunity to pass up.

Daniel's thoughts and the card game going on only metres from where he sat were interrupted by Teal'c crashing out of the undergrowth where the forest had begun encroaching on the ruins. He was waving his arms to indicate that they should try and hide.

"Down! Death Gliders!"

Overhead the bright blue sky was marred by two passing Gliders. Surprisingly, despite being caught out in the open, the pilots had seemingly failed to notice the SG team and had instead continued on in the direction of the stargate. The four man team took cover in the forest, three P90s and a staff weapon in hand and eyes scanning the area.

"Teal'c?" whispered Daniel for a clarification of events.

"It appears that this planet is occupied by a Goa'uld."

"But the UAV didn't pick up anything!" argued Falstaff.

"That is so," agreed the Jaf'fa looking concerned, "Yet this Goa'uld must be aware of SGC procedure when visiting a planet and has placed his base of operations outside of the standard UAV range."

"So they found the MALP and know we are here then?" added Williams.

"I believe not, MajorWilliams. I was able to over hear a Jaf'fa patrol and was on my way to report when I observed the Gliders. The Death Gliders were launched not in response to the MALP which it appears the Goa'uld was well aware of and had decided to ignore—"

"Arrogant bastard," interjected Daniel.

"But," continued Teal'c as if Daniel hadn't interrupted, "instead have been launched to deal with another Goa'uld who had decided to invade the planet. We are simply caught in the crossfire."

"So we're cut off from the stargate for now then?" Teal'c nodded the affirmation to the Major's question.

"Shit," cursed Falstaff angrily. "Fine, we'll make for the hills seven clicks south of our current position and hole up there till things are a lot less hot around the gate. We'll dial Chimera and gate home from there using the throwaway. Understood?"

The three other men nodded and soon they were hurrying their way through the undergrowth in the direction of the mountain range and the potential safety that it offered from the growing fire fight they could still hear in the distance behind them.

Scrambling up the scree wasn't fun, Daniel finding himself sliding back on several occasions only to be stopped from falling by Teal'c strong arms. Eventually the four took shelter in a small cave and settled in for the night. From their vantage point the battle could be just seen to still be raging and it was obvious that approaching the gate by night was now out of the question. They would have to wait till dawn and reassess the situation. None of them wanted an extended stay on a Goa'uld controlled planet, but it seemed increasingly likely as the battle raged on into the night.

As they ate dinner Daniel noticed that Teal'c was unusually silent, as if trying to grapple with some great conundrum. Moving over to sit by the bigger man, their backs to the small fire at the mouth of the cave, Daniel nudged the Jaf'fa. "What has you so worried, Teal'c?"

"The Jaf'fa."

"The Jaf'fa? The ones you overheard in the forest?"

"Indeed. They were a strange mixture. Many had differing marks and some even did not bear a mark, although those that didn't were markedly younger than those that did. I recognised many of the symbols that they bore."

Daniel was following Teal'c line of thought. That this Goa'uld was having to build up from scratch suggested they were either a new Goa'uld or an older one like Hathor who had lost their original army and had to rebuild.

"It is the unmarked Jaf'fa that concern me, DanielJackson. They did not have prim'tas."

"Which suggests that this Goa'uld may be stealing staff from the Free Jaf'fa?"

The Jaf'fa nodded, but then added, "Yet our numbers do not decrease. Instead the last three years have seen a marked upturn in arrivals. All from former masters with the same marks borne by the Jaf'fa on this planet. I am disturbed by what this may suggest."

"Double agents you mean?"

Teal'c again nodded, indicating that the younger man had followed his thoughts correctly. Daniel could see the problem. If these Jaf'fa had approached the Free Jaf'fa seeking membership, yet were also in the thrall of some unknown Goa'uld, then that left the Free Jaf'fa exposed to a potential attack.

"I must know more about these Jaf'fa and who they serve, DanielJackson, yet I fear that ColonelFalstaff will not permit our team to engage in some covert surveillance."

Daniel sighed in agreement. Then he grinned. "Teal'c, neither of us is USAF, so they can't exactly court martial us. How about we ditch the other two at the gate and make an assessment of the situation our selves. If the Free Jaf'fa have been betrayed then this is information that vital to our ongoing efforts against the Goa'uld."

Watching the incensed man with hooded eyes, Teal'c considered the suggestion. "I concur. We will make our break tomorrow should the gate be clear of Jaf'fa activity."

April 10th, 2008  
0539 hrs

Just before dawn SG-1 had decamped and began making their way back through the forest towards the stargate. The return journey was planned to be longer than the one to the cave they had sleep over in because Falstaff wanted to take a longer and safer route back just in case the battle between the two forces of Jaf'fa continued and the team was forced to retreat once more.

The four were accompanied only by the sound of bird song as they trod through the thick undergrowth in single file. Every once in a while they came across the bodies of one or two Jaf'fa, all bearing the same mark. It appeared that it was the Goa'uld System Lord Ba'al that had attempted to take the place via the stargate. What disturbed Teal'c was the fact that they had yet to find any bodies among the fallen that belonged to the mixed Jaf'fa teams he had observed the previous day.

If the Jaf'fa teams assembled by the Goa'uld on this planet could fight so well as a cohesive team, despite their differences, that they incurred no fatalities in the face of a fire fight with Ba'al's Jaf'fa, then the Goa'uld that controlled them was a formidable leader and tactician. But these were thoughts that the Jaf'fa kept to himself for now, planning to share them with the good Doctor DanielJackson when it was just the two of them making a survey of the Goa'uld holdings on the planet.

The number of dead Jaf'fa increased as they neared the gate and it became obvious that a extremely large and decidedly one sided battle had been fought for control of the planet. Luckily the area around the gate was deserted except for the bodies of the dead and the twisted wreckage of the MALP could be seen lying off to one side of the short ramp leading up to the gate. When it was decided that the area was clear the four made their way over to the DHD which remained in one piece despite the heavy battle taking place here long into the night.

Daniel dialled up Chimera and the team waited nervously for all seven chevrons to lock. Teal'c could see ColonelFalstaff and MajorWilliams visibly relax as the wormhole engaged with a familiar rushing sound, casting a watery light on their dawn-touched surroundings. The contrast between the harsh white light given off by the gate and the rosy hue of the dawn sky would have been a sight to stare at all day had the planet not been controlled by the enemy and at least half the team determined to leave while they still could.

Falstaff nodded his head and he and Williams strode up the ramp and into the event horizon fully expecting Teal'c and Daniel to follow straight after. But at a nod from Teal'c Daniel shut the gate down and the pair of now AWOL SGC personnel slipped back into the cover of the forest, moving swiftly in the direction that Teal'c had first encounter the Jaf'fa patrols in the hope that from there they could get a baring on where the Goa'uld base on this planet was.

SGC  
0643 hrs

"It the Chimera throwaway, Sir," announced Harriman to the General standing a pace or two behind his left shoulder.

"Open the iris."

At Landry's command the huge metal shield covering the mouth of the gate jerked back initially before sliding open smoothy the rest of the way. The SFs in the gate room all raised their P90s and watched for signs of something coming through the event horizon. After an agonising few seconds two figures in BDUs came stumbling through, looking unhappy but unharmed.

"Falstaff," said Landry through the intercom, "You appear to missing half your team."

"Sir."

"Get cleaned up. We'll debrief at 0730 once you've been to the infirmary for your post-mission checks. We'll talk then."

The two officers flicked Landry a quick salute before being led by a SF to the infirmary.

There had been two SG team departures since one half of SG-1 had returned to the SGC some twelve or so hours after contact had been lost. In between Landry had worked through some paper work in order to keep things ticking over. As the time for talking to SG-1 drew near, the General had grabbed a folder of papers and headed to the briefing room where he could continue to cross 't's and dot 'i's till they arrived. He was still at a particularly bad form that he had to fill in when Falstaff and Williams entered the briefing room on time for the 0730 debriefing.

Falstaff, at a nod from Landry, explained about the initial part of the mission and how up till lunchtime it had been a somewhat boring off world mission for the Colonel. He related Teal'c sudden return from guard duty and the appearance of the death Gliders. With Williams pitching in with detail, the Colonel continued with his ordered retreat to the cave and spending the night there.

When he got the following morning Chris had an observation to throw in, "I can't put my finger on it, Sir, but both Teal'c and Daniel were a little on edge. If I'd have to guess then I would say that they must have planned the night before to ditch us at the gate."

"Can you think of a reason why, Major?" asked Landry, concerned about two members of the SGC's flagship team and their rather bizarre behaviour.

Falstaff muttered something about civilians, but the other two men ignored him.

"Something on that planet was obviously enough for them to warrant going AWOL, Sir. I couldn't say what it was because I certainly didn't see anything to get upset about. It was just a standard case of one Goa'uld stabbing another in the back by attacking."

Landry sighed.

"Are we going back for them, Sir?" asked Williams.

"At this stage no. We'll give them another fifteen hours from now. If they're not back by then I'll send you two, along with SG teams 5 and 11, back to the planet to drag them back for explanation. Until then you two are off duty. Dismissed."

P4X-607  
0803 hrs

The further they had waded through the forest and away from the stargate the easier it became to walk as the undergrowth grew less dense. Daniel however had been with the SGC for long enough now to know that while it may have made the going easier, it left him and the Jaf'fa several paces ahead of himself with not much in the way of cover should they run into a patrol.

The UAV hadn't spotted any sign of Goa'uld occupation of the planet which meant that the base had to be quite some distance from the gate. Daniel mentally calculated that it would take the better part of the day to reach the edge of the UAV's range. This was going to be a long and boring slog since he couldn't talk to Teal'c as they moved. The pair couldn't afford to be caught by a Jaf'fa patrol and debating the finer points of the Jaf'fa political situation would probably lead to just that.

As the day marched on and the sun moved higher in the sky the pair began having to make more and more stops to find cover. The number of Jaf'fa patrols had begun to increase even though they were still only just over halfway through the area scanned by the UAV. Eventually Teal'c led Daniel into a better covered area and they slumped into sitting positions, although the large man keep his staff weapon at the ready. Daniel was already munching on an energy bar.

"I am concerned, DanielJackson."

"T?"

"There are too many patrols for us to still be only halfway to the Goa'uld's base of operations. I am beginning to think that perhaps this Goa'uld has found someway to hide his base from the UAV."

Daniel paused to consider that supposition. It was possible he guessed. If Sam was still with them she could probably have rattled off at least half a dozen possible ways with which to disguise something as large as a ha'tak vessel from the view of the UAV.

"So you think we're closer to the base than we thought we were?"

"Indeed. I would suggest we remain here so that I can observe these Jaf'fa."

"Get an idea of their comings and going you mean?"

Teal'c inclined his head. "That and perhaps overhear some conversation. We may learn much about the organisation of the Jaf'fa here and which false god they serve."

"Okay. If you are busy snooping around what do you want me to be doing?"

"If you could refrain from dying on this particular mission you would make me very glad, DanielJackson."

The younger man looked up at the Jaf'fa in surprise, Teal'c giving nothing away with his carefully blank face. Daniel grinned and managed to keep himself from barking out in laughter. As he struggled with a hand over his mouth Teal'c raised an eyebrow at the man's antics which only served to keep Daniel laughing. Patting the man in the shoulder Teal'c hefted up his staff weapon and slipped away into the underbrush.

Eventually Daniel got himself under control and took to scanning the area, his hand resting on his P90. He took care of his needs carefully and on occasion ate another energy bar to the despair of his dentist who had already told him to ease back on the sweet tooth. By the time his Jaf'fa friend reappeared some distance away the Archaeologist had consumed three candy bars and drunk half the contents of his canteen. Boredom had set in and he had taken to counting the trees in as many different languages as he could stretch too. What was worrying was that he got a different tally each time.

Teal'c signalled that he should leave his cover. Doing so Daniel slipped his finger onto the trigger of the P90 and in a sort of crab-like scuttle he ventured back out into the undergrowth of the forest, moving as quickly and silently as he could in Teal'c's direction. When he caught up with the dark skinned man Teal'c indicated that he should follow and they spent the better part of the next half hour moving through the trees in silence.

The route Teal'c had chosen took them up onto a small ridge to the north-east of the stargate, some three quarters of the UAV's range from the gate. The pair pressed themselves into a small hollow in the rock and as they sat there and got their breath back Daniel found himself with some binoculars pressed into his hands. Crawling to the mouth of the hollow he moved the item in front of his eyes.

"What am I looking for, Teal'c?"

"Look in the direction of the gate at a point just above the tree line, DanielJackson, and you will soon see what I brought you here for."

Teal'c was right, as he didn't have to wait long before something happened. A Death Glider suddenly emerged out of nowhere above the trees and swooped off in the general direction of the gate. Putting down the binoculars he glanced across at the Jaf'fa.

"It appears that whoever the Goa'uld is that controls this planet, they have somehow modified their shields to not only protect but to also camouflage. This is a significant advantage to have and is perhaps why Ba'al invaded."

"He wasn't attacking another Goa'uld because just like us he thought that this planet was uninhabited."

"Indeed. That is my summation of the situation."

Daniel sighed and looked at the now black speck on the horizon that was the Death Glider. "Did you learn anything from the Jaf'fa?"

"Much, and I find it confusing."

"In what way?"

The younger man watched as the Jaf'fa seemed to organise his thoughts, to find the right words to convey what he had learnt. "I do not believe we are dealing with the usual kind of Goa'uld, DanielJackson. The Jaf'fa, as we surmised, are generally taken from a pool of captured Jaf'fa belonging to other System Lords, most of whom are too small to retaliate to loosing a few warriors.

It would appear that a significant number of Ba'al's Jaf'fa were captured during last nights fire fight. That several of them have already joined patrols for this Goa'uld is a point of great concern for me, that perhaps he has some means of greater control over the actions of his Jaf'fa."

"Something like nish'ta then?"

"Perhaps. Moreover, these Jaf'fa know of the Free Jaf'fa and are apparently allowed to leave the service of this Goa'uld if they wish to join their free brothers in arms."

"And with the nish'ta-like control they then act as double agents?"

"I do not know, DanielJackson. I do not have enough information to confirm that supposition."

"Did you learn anything else?"

"They have a secure world for the Jaf'fa and their families that can only be reached via ship. The men in service to this Goa'uld are given leave to spend time with their families on this planet and only those who wish to undergo the prim'ta do so."

"Which would explain why some of the younger troops do not have a symbiote or a mark of bondage. But why? Without those two things surely the level of control is less. That is a risky position to take for a Goa'uld, after all it leaves them open to rebellion from their Jaf'fa."

"It is. Perhaps we have come full circle back to a possible nish'ta-like substance of control?"

"We have too many 'ifs' here, Teal'c. We need to know more about who and what we are dealing with!"

"Do you intend that we should try an board the ha'tak?"

"Why not!"

xxx

They had let night begin to fall before they even considered moving from the hollow. The Death Gliders had made irregular patrols of the stargate, base and surrounding areas, prompting Teal'c to remark that he had noticed that the Jaf'fa patrols were staggered and overlapped. At no point was there a clean break in patrol rotations that would allow a small team like theirs to penetrate the base perimeter. Whoever this Goa'uld was, they were playing a long term and subtle game.

Approaching the edge of the base outskirts had proven to be fraught with danger, more than once Jaf'fa patrols had seemingly come out of nowhere leaving Daniel and Teal'c little time to find convincing cover. The younger man was sure that only dumb luck had kept them alive thus far and he prayed that it held out long enough for them to achieve their goal and board the ha'tak.

The deeper into the enemy held territory the more Daniel came to understand why Teal'c hadn't seriously considered the use of a nish'ta-style drug as the reason for the loyal service of the Jaf'fa. Unlike the conditions that other Jaf'fa served their lords in, these mixed Jaf'fa had decent clothing, space, and materials to service their needs. Among the many small lodgings hidden in the forest Jackson could make out many Jaf'fa women who were visiting their husbands, sometimes bringing their children with them.

Despite the battle that had raged only a day earlier, the Jaf'fa obviously considered this place safe and secure from potential threat. They were not held in the thrall of some drug, nor by their symbiotes. They didn't even talk of their Goa'uld master in terms laced with fear. Instead the words used were touched with awe and respect. Whatever this Goa'uld was doing it was winning a loyal Jaf'fa army, one which, as they pressed on, was revealed to be quite a sizeable one indeed.

Stopping in a dense copse of trees the pair of men paused to gather their breath and thoughts.

"How many do you think there are on this planet?" whispered Daniel.

In the growing twilight he could see Teal'c's eyes darken. "Many thousand, DanielJackson. This is a truly formidable army of a size that would rival those of Goa'uld legend. That they have been trained in more than standard Jaf'fa combat techniques is of grave concern."

"You don't think the Free Jaf'fa could stand up to this army do you?"

"Indeed I do not. We could put up a good fight as the Tau'ri would say, but we would eventually be swept before them like leaves in the wind."

"Now is not the time to be waxy poetic, Teal'c. Have you spotted a way in for us yet?" Daniel scanned the trees which seemed twice as large now in the growing gloom.

"One. We will have to bluff some sentries on duty to do so."

"So, what's the bluff?"

Daniel felt but didn't see the swift chop to the back of his head. The Jaf'fa left him unconscious in the cover of the trees and slipped away to 'obtain' some Jaf'fa armour. The items which he found were certainly the Jaf'fa armour that the others wore, but it was heavily modified form the standard form he had worn as First Prime to Apophis and that the Jaf'fa of other Goa'uld wore. It was lighter, allowed for better manoeuvrability, and was marked with a pair of wings on the front.

Donning the gear and stowing his SGC uniform in his back pack he returned to the still out of it Daniel and threw the man and their two packs onto his left shoulder. With his staff weapon in his right hand he then marched confidently in the direction of the ha'tak and a set of rings that would allow access to the ship.

xxx

Daniel stirred with a groan, opening his eyes to find himself propped up against a wall whose designs revealed it to be Goa'uld in origin. Gingerly touching the bump on the back of his head he tried to piece together what had happened. Had they been captured by the Jaf'fa on the planet and now were prisoners? As he stood and involved him in a search of his immediate surroundings he discarded that idea. This wasn't a prison cell and there were no signs of a guard.

In one corner of the room were his and Teal'c bags, so Daniel took advantage of the situation and snagged an energy bar from his pack. He was just working up the courage to try exploring further afield when a Jaf'fa came in wearing what didn't appear to be the standard Jaf'fa uniform that he had seen many times before. As he raised his hands in a placating manner the mask of the Jaf'fa deactivated, rolling back to reveal the face of Teal'c looking back at him.

"Jeez, Teal'c, you really know how to give a guy a heart attack."

"My apologies, DanielJackson, but if my plan to infiltrate the ha'tak was going to work then I needed to don the garb of the Goa'uld's Jaf'fa." Here Teal'c dipped his head in apology.

With his heart rate under control Daniel took the time to walk in a circle around the larger man, taking in the alterations to the standard armour design. Teal'c watched him with his usual calm and somewhat detached manner.

"It's different," began Daniel. "Do you know which Goa'uld these two wings stand for?"

"I do not, DanielJackson, but the more modern and practical cast to this armour suggests to me that the Goa'uld we seek information about is new and not one of the old System Lords rebuilding."

Daniel reached out and tapped the armour. "So you are saying this stuff is better than what you wore as Apophis' First Prime?"

"Indeed. Lighter and more flexible. It is a superior replacement and is just another reason why the Jaf'fa army stationed on this planet would have no difficult defeating the Free Jaf'fa."

"This is so not good. By the way, how did I get knocked out?"

Teal'c smirked. "I rendered you unconscious for the duration of our infiltration of the vessel."

"Is there a reason why you did that 'cause my head is still really sore?"

"Of course. I have observed that your acting skills when it comes to bluffing are not of the standard required. I merely decided that you would act your part of unconscious prisoner better if you were really unconscious."

Daniel rubbed his head again. "Jack really did rub off on you didn't he? So what is the plan now?"

"We should leave our gear here where it will not be disturbed and I suggest you arm yourself with a zat. From here is not far to a service duct we can use to reach the floor of the main chamber."

"You figure that is where this Goa'uld will be?"

Teal'c nodded as he removed the Jaf'fa armour and hitched a zat to his belt to take with him along with his staff weapon. "If we wish to learn as much as we can about the operations on this planet then finding a place to hide within that chamber is our best option."

"Okay, I'm with you Teal'c. Just lead the way."

Moving to the door the Jaf'fa opened it and surveyed the corridor beyond. Satisfied that they remained undetected and would not be spotted, Teal'c nodded to Daniel and the two of them left the room. Stealing their way down the corridor they moved to a small dip in the corridor wall where a large metal grill obscured the service vent. Indicating that Daniel should keep him covered Teal'c set about using his brute strength to remove the grill after leaning his staff weapon against the wall.

There was the sound of metal sliding on metal as the grill came loose, sounding very loud to Daniel when contrasted with the almost silent corridors. Each scrape made the younger man more nervous and he began to expect an army of Jaf'fa to appear at the end of corridor, weapons blazing. Finally the grill came free and the Jaf'fa helped Daniel into the vent before feeding his staff weapon to him.

Then, climbing in backwards into the vent Teal'c pulled the grill up with himself as he shuffled back. Tugging it securely back into place he continued backing up to the first T-junction where he found Daniel.

"Go left, DanielJackson," instructed Teal'c.

Once the younger man began moving down the correct vent shaft Teal'c manoeuvred himself that he was facing the same direction as Daniel and then began following him. After several more sets of turns the Jaf'fa called his team mate to a halt.

"Can you see an opening above you, DanielJackson?"

"I can," answered Daniel as the greater space at the junction allowed him to move into a sitting position, his back up against one of the vent walls.

"We need to climb that shaft if we are to reach the main chamber."

Looking up Daniel considered the shaft above his head that receded away into the darkness. Massaging the crick in his neck when he looked back at Teal'c he commented, "You have got to be joking Teal'c. How am I meant to climb that." Here he jabbed an index finger up at the vertical shaft.

"I am not joking, DanielJackson. This is our only way to the correct room without arousing the suspicion of guards."

"We won't need to come this way on the way back will we?"

"We will," admitted Teal'c. "But it will be quicker on the way back."

Daniel gazed at the shaft once more. "I'll bet. So, how do we climb this thing?"

The Jaf'fa showed him how to brace his feet against one wall of the shaft and his hands and back against the opposite wall, pushing with his feet to hold himself in place. Daniel looked askew at the bigger man who had basically asked him to climb crab-like up the narrow shaft.

"I will be behind you and will catch you should you fall," reassured Teal'c.

"Sure, you do that," muttered Daniel as he got himself into position and began working his way up the shaft. As he began making progress he was glad that Teal'c had left their equipment behind as just getting himself up the shaft was proving taxing on his legs, arms and back.

As luck would have it, despite his somewhat bumbling nature on missions in the past, Daniel managed to make the entire climb without slipping, something that the Jaf'fa underneath him was grateful for. He had promised to catch the younger man should he fall and was prepared to do so. It didn't mean that it would have been fun. Daniel held on tightly to the edge of the shaft as he gingerly pushed him into the horizontal connecting vent with his feet, quickly making room for Teal'c who was close behind him.

"It is straight on from here, DanielJackson. Tread quietly as this area may have many more Jaf'fa on duty."

Nodding to acknowledge his team mate's words Daniel shuffled his way as delicately as he could along the vent till a grill blocked his way. Rolling over to look back at Teal'c he asked, "What's on the other side?"

"Nothing hopefully," replied Teal'c. "Have your zat ready should this not be so."

Unhitching his weapon from his hip Daniel activated it and scrunched up his body in order to orientate his feet at the grill. With this done after much exertion and attempts to remain as quiet as possible, Daniel slammed his booted feet against the grin a couple of times before the barrier fell away with a thudding noise. The archaeologist then hurriedly slid from the vent and dropped into a crouch a few feet away, eyes wildly checking the corridor he found himself in for any approaching enemies.

Teal'c joined him, pulling his staff weapon out with him before attending to putting the grill back into place. Once done he surveyed the corridor.

"Our presence remains undetected. Come, let us find a position from which to spy on this Goa'uld."

Leading the way, Teal'c guided Daniel down the corridor and into the main chamber of the ha'tak which was, to their collective relief, currently unoccupied. The Jaf'fa indicated a curtained area to the back of the room and the pair moved swiftly to claim it as their own, the curtain settling into stillness only moments before the main doors to the chamber opened and a group of people entered.

The first was a young man, dressed in a form of armour similar to that of the two Jaf'fa that followed him. While he couldn't make out the words Daniel did catch the metallic tone that drowned out the natural accent of the host, marking the man immediately as a Goa'uld, possibly the one who controlled this planet and the army of Jaf'fa. Accompanying the man, along with his two Jaf'fa bodyguard, was a woman who had two women attending her. She was dressed in a style similar to that of the male Goa'uld and was obviously another snakelike parasite after her indistinguishable reply to his comment carried the same grating tone.

The two attending women were garbed in a much altered form of Jaf'fa armour that reminded Daniel of the female Jaf'fa under the command of Ishtar. All four Jaf'fa's armour bore the symbol of two touching wings and were armed with zats and staff weapons. Daniel felt his stomach churn. If they were caught this could easily end badly for Teal'c and himself, especially if they were as highly trained as Teal'c believed them to be.

Tensing behind the curtain Daniel felt Teal'c's hands on his shoulders as the Jaf'fa drew him back and away from the part in the curtain.

"We need only listen," noted Teal'c. Daniel nodded in acceptance. There was no real need to watch the proceedings unless something they needed to see, in order to understand the context of the conversation, was displayed.

**Final report on the battle with Ba'al's forces, Mal'tec**, ordered the male Goa'uld.

"We successfully repelled Ba'al's attack through the chappa'ai. Despite an intense ground battle we were able to contain the bulk of his troops in the area surrounding the gate. Those that penetrated our cordon were quickly picked off using the modified Gliders and ground patrols."

**Excellent news, Mal'tec**, pronounced the woman in her grating Goa'uld tones. **Battle statistics?**

"Ma'am," began a female Jaf'fa, her use of the English word to denote rank or respect surprising both Daniel and his team mate. "Although the fire fight was significant we were able to subdue the attacking Jaf'fa while taking on only minor injuries. None of our Jaf'fa suffered any crippling shots and of those injured, the most serious will be out of action for perhaps another day at the most.

"As for Ba'al's Jaf'fa, they were unable to match our battle prowess. We have recovered close to one hundred bodies so far, with another forty Jaf'fa taken alive. They will all be given the standard test within the next twenty-four hours and allowed to determine their fate."

**Mal'tec**, spoke the male Goa'uld Ka'ne.

"Sir?" Again Daniel was agog at the English term used by the Jaf'fa.

**Ha'la and myself are required to travel to Tashur tomorrow. This means leaving the Jaf'fa army and our prisoners in your hands. Can we place our confidence in you to continue building a strong army?**

"You can, Sir, Ma'am. It would be an honour to instruct and discipline your faithful troops."

**Thank you**, said Ka'ne. **Is there anything else from the battle that needs reporting?**

"Sir," broached the female Jaf'fa.

**Yes, Yusen?**

"A Tau'ri MALP was discovered by the gate after the battle was concluded and intelligence indicates that two Tau'ri were seen leaving the planet via the gate in the early hours of the morning. Should we have stopped them?"

**No**, sighed Ha'la. **You followed your orders correctly, Yusen. However this does mean a change of plans. Mal'tec, this will mean that the entire Jaf'fa army must decamp and gate to Gra'she'gar before dawn breaks tomorrow. You will carry out your training of the army there.**

"Ma'am."

**Two Tau'ri you say?** asked Ha'la after a pause.

"Yes, Ma'am. They wore the uniform of the Ess Gee Cee."

**Did you find any Tau'ri bodies among the casualties?** Ka'ne probed.

"No, Sir," Yusen replied.

**Then we have at least one, possibly two Tau'ri infiltrators on the planet. They may have even breached the security of the ha'tak.**

Daniel found himself gripping Teal'c arm as his blood pressure went thought the roof. This whole plan to obtain intelligence about the Goa'uld on this planet was getting more dangerous by the minute. Teal'c on the other hand shrugged off Daniel's grip, instead concerned by the level of knowledge displayed about SGC off world practices.

**Either way, Mal'tec**, continued Ka'ne, **I need you to leave now to organise the evacuation. We can not delay and the ha'tak must depart now. There can not be anything for the Tau'ri to find when the follow up team comes to support those still here with reinforcements.**

"Sir," responded Mal'tec. There followed the sound of the Jaf'fa and his second leaving the chamber.

**Yusen**, began Ha'la. **Organise our departure and then begin a sweep of the ship. We must establish quickly if the Tau'ri are onboard.**

"And if they are, Ma'am?"

**Then they will be captured and dealt with when we reach Tashur. You have your orders, carry them out.**

"Ma'am," offered Yusen and the hiding pair of SGC personnel could hear the departure of the two female Jaf'fa.

Once the Jaf'fa were gone there was a minute or two of shuffling sounds as the two remaining people in the room, the two Goa'uld, went about arranging themselves comfortably on some of the low sofas that Daniel remembered seeing when he and Teal'c had snuck into the room. Using the cover of their seating themselves, Daniel shifted slightly behind the curtain he shared with the Jaf'fa so that he was able to see some of the room through a slight gap in the curtain.

The view afforded by the gap didn't allow him to see either of the two Goa'uld that occupied the room, but it did give a view of the main entrance to the chamber. Although not terribly useful it did at least allow the archaeologist to feel somewhat less confined and claustrophobic. Teal'c frowned at the younger man's movement, not wishing for anything that might give them away to the enemy. But he knew that Daniel didn't have the patience or tolerance for spending any great length of time sitting still. He marvelled that his friend had lasted this length of time without the aid of caffeine and held out a hope that he wouldn't get any twitchier till they were safely out of the enemy's reach.

**Do you believe that some Tau'ri may be onboard, my love?** the two SGC team mates heard Ha'la ask.

**I do, Ha'la.**

The whole ship shuddered, a small tremor running through everything, and Daniel realised that Yusen had done as instructed. The ha'tak that he and Teal'c had stolen onboard was now in the process of leaving P4X-607. Glancing over at Teal'c he caught the same pensive expression on the Jaf'fa's face that he assumed was mirrored on his own. They were truly venturing away from the safety net that the SGC provided as they had no guarantee that the ha'tak or the planet it would eventually arrive upon would possess stargates.

**What do we plan to tell our Lord and Lady?**

**The truth of course.** Daniel could hear the smile in Ha'la's voice. **We successfully repelled Ba'al's forces and, if we find the Tau'ri onboard, have obtained up-to-date intelligence on the activities of the SGC.**

Joy, thought Daniel. Obviously a torture cum interrogation session was on the cards if he and Teal'c couldn't stay one step ahead of Yusen and her Jaf'fa. He just hoped that the pair of them could somehow find a way to just ship before they were forcibly checked into Hotel de Goa'uld. Teal'c meanwhile pondered the reference to a Lord and Lady, something which hinted at a larger power structure than what he and Daniel had guessed at before. The idea that these two Goa'uld were minor players for more powerful Goa'ulds gave him cause to pause with regard to his original plans.

Instead of avoiding Yusen's Jaf'fa and returning to the SGC with what they had learnt, it was now vital that Daniel and himself find a way to learn to what extent this organisation stretched. If there were other Goa'uld who had trained similar armies to the one seen on '607, and they too were pledged in service to this Lord and Lady, then the SGC, the Tok'ra, and the Free Jaf'fa faced a formidable enemy. If they were to ever stand a chance to take this newest threat down, then he Daniel needed to learn as much as they could before even considering returning to Earth.

**Of course**, chuckled Ka'ne. **And now with everything in hand, what shall we do to while away the time till Yusen brings us our stowaways.**

**Oh, I'm sure I can think of a thing or too.**

Daniel made a face at Teal'c in response to the purr that the pair could hear in Ha'la's voice. He locked eyes with Teal'c and cocked his head towards the main entrance to the chamber. He really did not wish to remain stuck behind the curtain when the two Goa'uld progressed beyond the lip lock they were currently _very_ engaged in. Luckily for the pair of them the parasite make out session moved to a room beyond the main chamber.

Easing out from behind the curtain, Teal'c swung his staff weapon into a horizontal position and led Daniel out of the room. He paused in the corridor, Daniel almost running into his broad back after letting the door slide silently shut.

"We must retrieve our gear as quickly as possible, DanielJackson. At the moment they only suspect that we may be onboard and if they find no evidence then they may stop looking. Should they find our packs then they will no for sure."

"Okay, I understand that. So we're going back for our packs then?"

"No, DanielJackson," explained the Jaf'fa. "In this case it would be better if we split up."

"Huh?"

"I would recommend you remain here." At this point he thrust the staff weapon in the younger man's hands. "I will retrieve our gear and return."

Daniel waved the staff weapon slightly. "That sounds all well and good Teal'c, but it leaves me standing in a corridor with this staff weapon."

The Jaf'fa grabbed Daniel by the elbow and lead him down the corridor to a door which opened upon their approach. He pushed the archaeologist inside with the forceful suggestion to remain hidden. Then, armed only with his zat, Teal'c moved to the vent grill by which the two men had arrived on that level of the ship and tugged it away from the opening. Balancing it in his hands the Jaf'fa climbed backwards into the vent and pulled the grill back into place. It would a long and uncomfortable journey back to where their gear was stored and Teal'c prayed to whoever may be listening that the materials remained undiscovered.

SGC  
2230 hrs

Major Williams had returned to the SGC before the fifteen hour deadline had expired, eager to begin searching for his two missing team mates. He was concerned for their well-being, having become good friends with the archaeologists and the Jaf'fa over the past three years, and was worried by the idea of them being AWOL from the SGC. He knew that Daniel still held some small hope of finding his lost friends General O'Neill and Lt. Colonel Carter and would never do anything that might lead to his removal from off world going SG teams, which were his only hope for finding clues as to their fate.

Beyond that, Chris was a little hurt that neither Daniel or Teal'c saw fit to include him in their discussion of whatever it was that they had found on '607, or their plans to do something about it. He supposed that perhaps they were looking out for his career in the Air Force. With neither of them part of the military chain of command they could not be court martialed and their experience and contributions as civilians attached to the project would probably be enough to prevent them from being outright dismissed from working at the SGC.

The Major had sat in the briefing room by himself for quite some time pondering possible reasons behind the actions of his two wayward team mates, only to interrupted by his commanding officers. Colonel Falstaff and General Landry had arrived one after each other shortly before the deadline set for the start of the meeting. Falstaff took his customary seat on Landry's left, which placed him sitting opposite Williams. Neither Landry, nor Falstaff, carried any papers with them which made Chris wonder exactly what the plan of attack was.

"I'll come straight to the point gentlemen. We dialled P4X-607 half and hour ago and sent a new MALP through. We were able to confirm the battle through the detection of staff weapon blasts, but no bodies were to be found.

"With no signs of more recent Jaf'fa activity we risked sending a UAV through in order to get a better idea of the situation. Initially we found nothing, but with your reports of Death Gliders we pushed the UAV beyond its normal range and found signs that a ha'tak had recently departed the planet.

"Attempts to contact our two missing men achieved nothing and I believe that they may be onboard the departed ha'tak. At this stage I am allowing you to accompany SG-4 to the planet tomorrow in case Daniel and Teal'c are still on the planet and were unable at the time to return our attempts at contact. If they are not then I'm afraid there is little we can do except contact the Tok'ra and hope that they have an operative in the ranks of whichever Goa'uld has captured them."

Goa'uld ha'tak, en route to Tashur  
April 11th, 2008  
0534 hrs

It had been a simple error of judgement on his part reflected the turncoat Jaf'fa as he was essentially frog-marched down a corridor of the ha'tak by Yusen and several of her female Jaf'fa. Behind him one of the Jaf'fa carried the gear that he had been attempting to retrieve without discovery. Teal'c was unhappy with his capture, but was consoling himself for now with the fact that DanielJackson remained undetected and free.

Eventually the train of people led Teal'c back to a familiar corridor, the one that led to the main audience chamber of the ha'tak where Ka'ne and Ha'la would be waiting. As he moved down the corridor under armed guard he controlled himself, willing his head not to turn slightly and take in the door to the room he had left the archaeologist in. They would not learn of the younger man's existence from him.

The doors to the main chamber swung open and Teal'c was marched into the room, brought to a halt two or three metres from the reclining couches. The two Goa'uld were seated upon the couches, allowing the renegade Jaf'fa to finally see the faces of his captors for the first time. The pair rose to stand in front of him as Yusen stood to Teal'c left. The remaining Jaf'fa spread out in a semicircle around Teal'c and Yusen, cutting off the main door as an exit.

Ka'ne was a reasonably handsome man as Tau'ri went, mused Teal'c, with dark black hair and high cheekbones to match his square jaw. There was no telling his actual age due to the parasite within him, but he appeared to be roughly twenty-seven years old. Ha'la was shorter, somewhere close to the late DoctorFraiser in height, with a sort of strawberry blonde hair and refined features. She appeared to be around twenty-two years of age, though she had probably lived for far longer. Where Ka'ne was tall and broad shouldered, Ha'la an almost slip of a woman with a frame that was rounded in all the right places.

Ha'la spoke first, eyes flashing only slightly so that, if you had missed the restrained display of possession from the parasite, the only way you knew there was a Goa'uld in there would be in the metallic inflection added to her speech. Her left hand reached out to trace the marking on his forehead, Teal'c jerking away from her touch till Yusen struck him with the butt of her staff weapon. He let her finish her examination, eyes showing his contempt for the false god before him. **I do believe that this is the shol'va, Teal'c of Chulak**, she stated.

Ka'ne gazed at Teal'c with an intensity, but one for which the Jaf'fa could not place the thought behind. Was it elation? Lust? Fear? **Then perhaps we approach the time that has been spoken of my love. The System Lords have begun to fear us this past year, perhaps it is time that the Tau'ri knew of our existence as well?**

**Perhaps**, purred Ha'la. **But that is not for us to decide. It will simply be one further matter than must be discussed upon our arrival on Tashur.**

Ka'ne nodded in agreement with his partner. **But his presence does mean that there is definitely a Tau'ri onboard the ha'tak. The one known as Daniel Jackson will be here somewhere.**

Yusen nodded at this observation and immediately dispatched two of the waiting Jaf'fa to begin another search of the vessel. Ha'la meanwhile had not let her attention waver from Teal'c, her blue eyes staring hard at him as if trying to peer deep into his soul. **What brings you to Jal'nef and aboard our ship, Teal'c of Chulak?**

"Jal'nef?" Teal'c ventured to risk the Goa'uld wrath by asking a question. This brought a slight, quick smile to his face as he imagined O'Neill standing next to himself, asking the pair in front of him any and every inane question he could think of.

**The planet the Tau'ri have designated as P4X-607**, explained Ha'la with what could be said to be either a benevolent or condescending smile. Teal'c knew which one he thought it was, but was more concerned that these Goa'uld knew of and would even use the SGC system created by ColonelCarter when talking of planets. Just how well informed were they about how the SGC operated?

"I will not tell you anything," stated Teal'c firmly as if that was then end of the matter and the conversation.

Ka'ne however did not seem to agree with the Jaf'fa as he took a step forward into Teal'c personal space and looked him in the eyes. The bigger man absently noted the neither Goa'uld was wearing a hand device, nor any other obviously weapon. This meant that they fully trusted Yusen and her Jaf'fa to protect them from harm, but that they also possibly did not use the threat of torture and pain as a means of keeping their Jaf'fa in line.

**We are not asking for anything sensitive information-wise, Teal'c**, he began almost conversationally. **We are merely interested to know the reason for your arrival of P4X-607. Was it a simple first exploration?**

Teal'c didn't respond to the question, but was caught flat footed by the soft questioning and lack of demands for information.

**Perhaps you came to see the ruins?** At this the Jaf'fa couldn't help but tense slightly and hoped he could mask the reaction. Ka'ne however smiled when he saw how Teal'c acted, saying, **Of course. Dr Jackson could not turn down the opportunity to make a survey of the ruins!**

Ka'ne turned away from Teal'c and wandered over to a bowl upon a small table, not unlike the coffee table Teal'c had in his own apartment, and plucked a handful of fruits from it. He offered the selection up to Ha'la who took something akin to an apple from the assortment available with a generous smile. Ka'ne then shoved his fruit laden hands in front of Teal'c, hands cupped like a bowl to keep the fruit from spilling everywhere. Teal'c eyes the Goa'uld suspiciously.

**Have one, Teal'c. They will not harm you.** The Jaf'fa however continued to watch with caution and did not move. **If that is your will**, continued Ka'ne smoothly as he stepped around the bigger man and began offering the fruit selection to Yusen and her Jaf'fa who all took something to eat.

**On one hand**, said Ka'ne as he moved about the chamber under Ha'la's watchful eye, **Ba'al's attack was annoying in the sense that he is somewhat aware of our movements and that his attack revealed our existence to you and the SGC. On the other hand, this could be a good thing. It may finally force the council to acknowledge that it time to make an overture towards the Tau'ri.**

Teal'c pondered this statement as he had already noted that Ka'ne and Ha'la had both mentioned deferring to the judgement of others. Were these two simply minor Goa'uld in the service of another? Ka'ne had mentioned a council and Ha'la 'others'. Was there a grouping of Goa'uld that operated along the lines of the now destroyed System Lord council? If so, why had this not come to light earlier? How was it that the Free Jaf'fa, Tau'ri, and the Tok'ra could operate on intelligence reports with any confidence when such an important player on the field as this possible Goa'uld council could be overlooked time and again?

**But as you have said dear**," nodded Ka'ne to Ha'la, **That is neither here nor there. For now we must accept that an SG team was on the planet to survey the ruins and that Ba'al's attack alerted them to our presence.**

**Could the attack have been an attempt on Ba'al's part to alert the Tau'ri to our existence?** suggested Ha'la.

Teal'c watched the by-play with interest, mind working furiously to work out where the pair were going with their conversation.

**You mean to suggest that Ba'al wished for the Tau'ri to learn of ourselves in the hopes that they might strike at us for him without pausing to ask questions?**

Ha'la nodded. **Would it not make sense for him to send a force that has defeated other Goa'uld to do the work for him when he has failed time and again over this last year to strike us down?**

From what had been said previously Teal'c was beginning to believe that the 'us' that Ha'la referred to was the council of Goa'ulds that Ka'ne had alluded to. He began to see just why Ba'al might have been driven to try and use the SGC to attack such a council. If the representatives on the council each controlled a Jaf'fa army of the size and skill that Teal'c had witnessed on P4X-607 then if was very easy to see why Ba'al would use any means to destroy such a formidable enemy. The only hole in the situation was that no one had record of such an army attacking any planet. Why would a Goa'uld council create such an army and then not deploy it as they were want to, in capturing new territory. This council could have easily destroyed Ba'al already and taken his territory. What held them back?

**Then Ha'la**, sighed Ka'ne, **We have yet another point to raise before the council on Tashur.**

**With great power comes great responsibility my love**, smirked Ha'la, and Teal'c thought his heart had come to a halt at the Goa'uld's use of the word responsibility. These two did not operate to usual Goa'uld patterns and he had yet to see a sarcophagus, leading to him to speculate that the couple in front of him might instead be Tok'ra. While not the most probable solution to the conundrum presented before him, Teal'c mused that it was at least still possible and could go some way to explaining why the Tok'ra made no mention of any new council or Jaf'fa armies.

Ha'la turned to look at the still silent Jaf'fa once more. **Do you have anything you wish to say, Teal'c of Chulak?**

Teal'c shook his head slightly and then realised that the interrogation (the Jaf'fa refused to think of it as a pleasant chat) was at an end. He knew he was in no immediate physical danger since the two Goa'uld had spoken of deferring to the wishes of the council on how to deal with him. That gave him until the meeting to establish was way to safety for himself and DanielJackson.

Ha'la signalled to Yusen who stepped forward and into Teal'c peripheral vision. **Yusen, escort Teal'c of Chulak to some appropriate quarters. You may make use of his company should you and your officers wish.**

"Thank you, Ma'am, you do us a great honour," replied the female Jaf'fa to Ha'la command.

Yusen spun on her heel and nodded to two of her Jaf'fa guard who took up positions on either side of Teal'c while another two moved to the doors of the main chamber and threw them open.

**We will speak again, Teal'c once we have arrived at Tashur**, said Ka'ne by way of dismissal.

With that, and a light prod from two staff weapon butts, Teal'c was escorted from the chamber, two Jaf'fa closing the doors behind them and remaining there as guards. Yusen and the two Jaf'fa at Teal'c side then led him back through the maze of corridors, moving up two levels into what Teal'c recognised from his days as First Prime to Apophis as the onboard quarters for the high ranking Jaf'fa staff. He was taken to one of the larger rooms and led inside.

"This will be your quarters for the duration of your stay will us," explained Yusen. "Unfortunately you can not be given free run of the ship, hence there will be guards posted outside at all times."

Teal'c nodded in acknowledgement, expecting no less given he was their prisoner. He was however taken aback that he had been given such fine quarters when he had expected that the 'appropriate' quarters that Ha'la had spoken of would prove to be the brig. That neither the Jaf'fa nor the Goa'uld had acted in any way he had come to expect was keeping him off kilter and this was a feeling that Teal'c was not liking.

"I will return in two hours time with some of my senior officers. We wish to talk with you."

Yusen was then gone, stepping out of the room and leaving the two remaining Jaf'fa on guard as the door slid shut with a slight hiss. Teal'c was aware that Ha'la had given the female Jaf'fa and her subordinates permission to make use of his 'company' for the duration of his stay aboard the ha'tak. He took a deep breath and thought of Ishtar, offering up a small prayer of forgiveness for what he might have to 'endure' in the coming hours.


	2. In the Hands of the Enemy

Okay, I apologise to all those readers who have been waiting patiently for a new chapter.

This chapter is officially one month late (passing two self-imposed deadlines with a cherry wave and resulting in the posting of additional chapters of "Lady of the Gate" instead). That sort of delay might give you all some idea of how long the gaps will be for the posting of new chapters to this story.

This tale may also not 'move' as fast as some people expect (Sam and Jack's fate is still some way off), as I need to spend at least a little bit of these early chapters vaguely setting out how Seasons 8, 9, and 10 were changed by that first paragraph of Chapter 1 and what the current state of things is ...

xxx

**TWO: In the Hands of the Enemy**

SGC  
April 11th, 2008  
0734 hrs

It was pounding shoes and a heavy heart that Major Christopher Williams of the SGC trudged down the ramp into the gate room some twenty-odd floors beneath the surface of the Earth. Behind him came Colonel Falstaff, whose expression gave no indication as to whether or not he was missing the other two members of SG-1, and SG-4 who had accompanied the military half of SG-1 to P4X-607. It had been a vague hope supposed Chris, as he looked up to the glass control room where General Landry stood watching them come through the gate, that they would find Daniel and Teal'c alive and well on the planet. Landry gave them all the order to report to the infirmary once the gate had snapped off and reminded them that the debriefing was at 0800.

Head bowed slightly, Chris wearily followed the rest of the group to the infirmary and Dr Lam's sure hands. He survived the poking and prodding that he received there with good grace and had managed to school his emotions by the time that he had arrive at the briefing room for the meeting. Although he held out for a faint hope that Landry would give the go ahead for further attempts to locate the missing pair from SG-1, he knew that it was rather more likely that the General would decide against sending more teams out.

And that was what essentially happened, with Landry putting on hold the possibility of further SGC teams going to '607. What did keep Chris' hopes up was the fact that the General refused to list the two as AWOL despite some protestation from Falstaff over their actions. Landry even went as far as adding that should new information on the location of Daniel and Teal'c become available, then he would revisit his decision. He also added that the Tok'ra had been contacted in the hopes that they would have some information on the Goa'uld that Ba'al had been attacking on '607, something that could also lead to an attempt to retrieve the two missing SGC personnel.

"What will happen to SG-1 in the meantime, Sir?" asked Williams.

"You and Colonel Falstaff are on stand down from this point onwards, Major. You are being given leave and in a sense will be taking your annual leave early."

"Sir —," began Chris, only to be cut off by Landry waving a hand.

"I understand, Major. Should we learn anything about Dr Jackson and Teal'c, I won't hesitate to let you know what we discover. But for now son you're on leave. Have a good break, Chris. You too, John."

"Yes, Sir," acknowledged Williams as he snapped a quick salute, copied by the Colonel, and left the briefing room with Falstaff in tow.

Landry looked after them at the now empty doorway and pondered the loss of the archaeologist and the Jaf'fa. It seemed that now all of the original SG-1 were now missing, somewhere on the other side of the stargate. While O'Neill and Carter had been essentially accounted for some three years ago, being declared 'killed in action' a few months after going missing, Landry had the feeling that he would see Dr Jackson and Teal'c again. They may have had a habit of getting themselves into tight spots, but they also had a knack of getting out of them again. And this time the pair might be able to lay the ghosts of Jack and Sam to rest upon their return.

Goa'uld ha'tak, en route to Tashur  
April 11th, 2008  
0813 hrs

Daniel figured that it was his nose that was his undoing. Although such a statement might have earned a degree of disapprobation from the female medical staff back the SGC, who thought of Daniel's nose in only the best of possible terms, the owner of said nose wasn't as happy with the appendage as its admirers. The cause for this lay with the extreme sensitivity of the facial feature, in that the room Teal'c had shoved the younger man into turned out to a store room of some sort with, among many other things, a large selection of cultivated flowers on display, which was something Daniel's nose took exception to.

It had taken only fifteen minutes for the pollen of the flowers to kick start the archaeologist's allergic reaction and prompt him to reach for a handkerchief. His rather loud sneezing fits soon caught the attention of Yusen's Jaf'fa who were searching the ship for the hidden Daniel Jackson, and the man was quickly facing down the rather painful end of several staff weapons. It was all he could to croak out a pitiful 'Hi' as he surveyed his captors from behind his handkerchief, which he held with one hand to his over stimulated nose.

Moments later he was being escorted through the ha'tak to the same level that Teal'c had been taken earlier, although Daniel didn't have the same knowledge of the practical workings of a Goa'uld ha'tak and subsequently didn't recognise the importance of where he was being taken. At best, he assumed that he was either being taken to be interrogated by Ka'ne and Ha'la, or he was on his way to the ship's brig and a possible interrogation by the Jaf'fa. So he was taken aback when he was pushed into the room that held Teal'c, who didn't look any worse for wear since his capture, and then left alone with the bigger man.

"Are you well, DanielJackson?" asked the Jaf'fa as he eyed up the slightly dishevelled Tau'ri.

"I'm fine, Teal'c, you?"

Teal'c nodded his head in thanks for Daniel's concern, but allayed his fears by communicating that he too was 'fine'. "They have not harmed me and do not seem inclined to do so at any point, at least until this ship reaches Tashur. Things may be different there."

"How so?"

"Upon my capture I was taken to see the two Goa'uld in charge of this ha'tak and was able to ascertain much from their attempt to interrogate me. They appear to be two minor Goa'uld in the service of a more powerful couple."

Daniel found himself a space to sit down and sighed. "Just what we need right now. Another, _more powerful_ Goa'uld to deal with."

"This is of great concern to me DanielJackson. They spoke of a council which suggests that there are more players like these two Goa'uld. If these others were to possess armies of even a small fraction of the size of the one on P4X-607 then the threat we face is greater than first thought."

The younger man played with his glasses as he absorbed all that the Jaf'fa was telling him, agreeing with Teal'c that this new threat that they had stumbled across was ballooning out of control. He could also see why Ba'al would be feeling threatened enough to commit his forces to attacking it. "And what happens when we get to Tashur?"

"Apparently our fate will be decided by this council."

Daniel's lips flattened into a thin line. "That sounds really positive." He sneezed. "So where have these Goa'uld come from, Teal'c? That Ba'al is still hanging around I can understand, since he must have a dozen or so clones bouncing about the galaxy, but Anubis is gone for good now and the original council of System Lords was destroyed."

"That is true, which led me to consider whether these are not Goa'uld but Tok'ra."

This suggestion caused Daniel to go still, glasses trapped in his motionless fingers as he fixed his eyes on the Jaf'fa. "Tok'ra? As in the slightly-less-arrogant-than-a-Goa'uld Tok'ra? You're joking right, Teal'c?"

"I am not, DanielJackson," replied Teal'c as he folded his arms. "So far they have not behaved in the traditional manner of the many Goa'uld we have encountered in the past. If I had not believed that they were attempting to interrogate me then I would have assumed that they were trying to be good hosts."

The Goa'uld as good hosts had completely bowled the archaeologist over. "A subspecies perhaps," eventually mused Daniel, his brain now captivated by the idea of an entirely new offshoot of Goa'uld culture to study. 'Good Goa'ulds' had a sort of amusing ring to it.

"How?"

Daniel paused for thought. "Well, we know that Anubis has modified the Goa'uld parasite before to create his Kull warriors. Maybe this is something similar that he started? A sort of middle man Goa'uld who had the intelligence and cunning which the Kull warriors lacked, but not the ambition to overthrow their creator."

"That does not sound like something Anubis would do."

"No, you're right," agreed Daniel. He rubbed his nose since it was still tingling from its flower-induced sneezing frenzy.

It was at that point that the pair were interrupted in their deliberations over their currently lamentable situation by the swish of the opening door, revealing the corridor beyond the room. Through the now open doorway came Yusen and five more female Jaf'fa, all of whom Teal'c noted were not carrying any obvious weaponry. They spread themselves out about the room, finding perches to sit upon as the door slid shut once more and Yusen advanced on the two intruders.

Daniel hastily scrabbled to his feet, jamming his glasses back onto his face with perhaps a little too much force since he he had to take them off almost straight away and massage the mildly bruised bridge of his nose.

"Greetings Teal'c of Chulak and Dr Daniel Jackson of the Tau'ri. I am Yusen of Bal'hur, former Jaf'fa attendant to the false god Athena." Here the female Jaf'fa leader spread one arm to indicate the other Jaf'fa present. "These are my closest aides from among the Jaf'fa ranks of this craft."

Teal'c sized up the other five women, noting that all bore marks of Jaf'fa pledged to serve various now dead Goa'uld, and thus had come to serve their new masters through the loss of their former ones.

"Hi, nice to meet you," replied Daniel, earning a stare from the only male Jaf'fa in the room that was equal parts incredulity and annoyance.

"Thank you, Dr Jackson." Yusen watched with amusement as he put his glasses back once more, this time a little more carefully.

"We have nothing to say to you."

"I understand that you are sceptical of our intentions, Teal'c, but we are hear to learn at your feet. Would you teach us?"

The burly Jaf'fa was dumbstruck at Yusen's plea. Obviously he had misjudged what he thought were the plans of the female Jaf'fa to interrogate both himself and DanielJackson. But what did they hope to learn from the pair of them? Neither would willingly give up the secrets of the SGC and Teal'c had doubts that whatever they could tell the Jaf'fa would be of interest to them.

"You want to learn from us?" asked Daniel. "What do you want to learn?"

"Indeed, we will not tell you anything that could potentially disadvantage the SGC."

Yusen studied the pair, realising that the Tau'ri was treating this like a cultural exchange and male Jaf'fa as if this was just another attempt at interrogating them.

"You misunderstand us, we wish you to talk of your past experiences with the Goa'uld so that we may act like you in our dealings with them?"

Daniel was sure that his eyes must be bulging out of his head. Were these Jaf'fa effectively talking treason only a couple of floors from their masters? "You want to destroy the Goa'uld?"

The assorted female Jaf'fa all nodded their heads. "Is that not the goal of the Tau'ri and the Free Jaf'fa?"

"But you serve a false god," argued Teal'c.

Yusen blinked as things crystallised in her mind, beginning to giggle lightly as she understood where the two men were coming from. The SGC pair just stared at the woman as she in effect laughed at them. Teal'c's brow knitted in annoyance, wishing he was dealing with Ishta instead of Yusen. At least he had some idea of how Ishta operated and thus could understand her moods. Daniel had the sudden revelation that perhaps what he and Teal'c had stumbled upon was not quite what they had taken it to be.

"Ka'ne and Ha'la are Tok'ra then?" ventured Daniel, trying to make sense of the situation.

The other female Jaf'fa all broke out laughing at the suggestion.

"The Tok'Ra are barely aware of Ka'ne and Ha'la. Those among them that have heard something of it, have dismissed it all as rumour. After all, are not the Tok'Ra the only Goa'uld who can be the 'good guys'?"

Daniel sized up Yusen's sarcastic response. It appeared that the Jaf'fa were not going to give up any useful information willingly. Teal'c meanwhile posed another question. "Do they possess a sarcophagus?"

The female Jaf'fa to Yusen's right gave a short nod. "It is a last resort when one of our number falls or is badly injured in the service of our Lord and Lady."

If Teal'c's eyes could grow any wider they would have. Goa'uld making use of the sarcophagus to treat and resurrection their Jaf'fa. Such a thing was unheard of. Both he and Daniel were beginning to see that something like nish'ta might easily not be necessary in creating and controlling such an army of Jaf'fa as seen on P4X-607, given how well the Jaf'fa were treated. And in his heart Teal'c knew that an army born from the loyalty such good treatment fostered was far greater than one fashioned from the fear that most Goa'uld usually engendered in their troops.

These Goa'uld were also seemingly aware of the dangers of using a sarcophagus and worked to limit the use made of the damned devices. Daniel couldn't blame them, having been subject to the addiction that abusing the sarcophagus could create. These Goa'uld had made almost the same choice as the Tok'Ra in limiting time spent in the device, yet did not appear in any way to be affiliated with the Tok'Ra themselves. If Yusen was to be believed, then the Tok'Ra had no knowledge of Teal'c's and his own captors.

"Did Ka'ne and Ha'la not approach the Tok'Ra, given that they have the same goal in mind?" Daniel posed the point that was bugging him.

"They did not. Nor was such a step needed. Our Lord and Lady made such an overture to the High Council of the Tok'Ra over two years ago. It was rejected, our help being deemed below that of the Tok'Ra."

"Really?" Daniel didn't have to fake the interest in his voice to keep Yusen from ceasing her lecture. Teal'c just looked on with mild amusement, well aware of what his comrade was attempting.

"Our Lord and Lady were not those born of the Tok'Ra Queen, hence their acceptance into the Tok'Ra fold was not forthcoming. And while I was not present when such an application was made by our Lord and Lady, I have hear that they were more than merely rejected."

Yusen paused and took in Teal'c's arched eyebrow and the undisguised curiosity on Daniel Jackson's face. As she had been told, he was ever eager to learn something new about a culture.

"What did you hear?" pressed Teal'c.

"That our Lord and Lady were insulted, belittled, scorned. That they were taken away to be tortured for information, before being killed. That only through their own wisdom were they able to remove themselves from the squabbling Tok'Ra, and forge the society to which all those aboard this ha'tak have pledged themselves too."

"Sounds like pretty heady stuff," commented Daniel.

SGC  
0915 hrs

It had been the talk of the base, mused Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell as he stalked the corridors of the SGC. Both Teal'c and Dr Daniel Jackson had gone AWOL gate side for God-knows-what reason. Although he was officially assigned to SG-2, something that had happened upon his posting to the SGC in 2005, almost three years ago now, Cameron had had the fortune to be a part of SG-1 on several missions during that time. He had become close friends with the two now-missing members of the SG unit, as well as being reunited with Chris Williams who he already knew. Like the others in the team, he had found Falstaff more than a little difficult to deal with.

There had been an e-mail from Chris waiting for him on his computer when he had clocked in for work this morning, obviously having been sent shortly after Chris' return with SG-4 that very morning. Chris had been a part of the same cohort as Cameron during training with the Air Force, separated as they were with only weeks between their respective birthdays. Mitchell had to admit to initially being a little jealous of his colleague when Williams had informed him of his posting to not only the SGC, but to the famous SG-1.

Luckily that jealousy hadn't lasted very long and by the time Cameron had joined his friend at the SGC as the new leader of SG-2, their friendship was back in great form. Through Chris he had gotten to know Daniel and Teal'c really well, the four of them quickly becoming thick as thieves when it came to organising down time activities. From the e-mail Cameron knew that Chris wanted to discuss the bizarre behaviour of his two team mates. Well, that was what the e-mail said. In reality, Cameron figured that he would end up acting more like a silent sounding board, someone on whom Chris could dump his thoughts and allow himself to sort out how he really felt about what had happened.

Given that Chris had done the same for him on occasion, Mitchell didn't feel any sense of resignation. Without dragging his feet any further he rounded the corner of the corridor and found himself face-to-face with the door to Williams' office. With a light rap on the door he announced his presence. Chris gave him leave to enter and Cameron ventured into the Major's domain. Despite the difference in rank, something that Cameron chalked up purely to the fact that he'd been involved in the battle over Antarctica when Williams hadn't, the pair greeted each other affably with much back slapping and hand shaking as they felt they could get away with without compromising their masculinity.

"So, Chris, what's the problem?"

"No problem, actually. I had a brainstorm in the shower after getting back from P4X-607 and I thought I'd run it past you before I tried it on the General."

Cameron quirked an eyebrow at this. "So," he breathed and found himself a stool to settle himself down on. "Let's hear this 'brainstorm' of yours."

"Well," began Chris, "You know Vala." It wasn't a question, although there was some hint of curiosity in the Major's eyes.

"I'm _familiar_ with her."

That was an understatement. Ever since Daniel Jackson had encountered her over the incident with the Prometheus, Vala Mal Doran had been repeatedly cropping up during the missions of both SG-1 and SG-2. So much so that, as events with the Ori began to build in importance, she eventually became a nominal fifth member of SG-2. Much to Daniel Jackson's relief. It had become apparent to Cameron that the poor archaeologist had become the object of affection for the offworlder, and she had on occasion contrived to go out on a mission with SG-1 just to be closer to the harried Doctor. That incident with the bracelets was simply symptomatic of Vala's desires.

Vala however hadn't had much luck in the direction, but had yet to give up. Mitchell felt that the major stumbling block to Daniel reciprocating her feelings was the simple fact that Jackson was currently obsessed with finding and recovering the missing General O'Neill and Colonel Carter. At least Daniel's obsession was easier to deal with than the outright scariness of Pete Shanahan vacillating from fury over Carter's disappearance, to demands to know more of the confidential details, to the heaping of scorn on the SGC and the Air Force for separating her from him.

The man's behaviour was enough for Cameron to almost believe that Carter was better off missing than being married to the Denver police officer as she had planned to do before becoming lost. Thankfully, after only three months of that, Shanahan had taken the hint from Daniel and Teal'c and had 'gotten lost', returning to Denver. A discrete check through a couple of agencies for Daniel had indicated that Shanahan had eventually married some other woman in late 2006.

Still, the rather base and two-dimensional drives of Shanahan were easier to understand than the obsessive drive of Jackson's to find his two missing friends. If he were anything of a psychologist Cameron would be saying that Daniel was acting out feelings of guilt. But he wasn't, so he keep his mouth shut.

Chris caught Cameron's eye. "Well, I figured that she might be able to help us find Daniel."

"How? I mean, since we met her she's kept an ear out for any hint or sign of O'Neill and Carter. Something she's done purely because Jackson asked it of her. In all that time she has discovered nothing. How do you expect her to be able to find Jackson."

"I think it is a case of motivation. She never met the missing officers, so the drive there was only in trying to please Daniel. But, with Daniel now missing ..."

Mitchell could see where Chris was going with this. "You think that with him gone she'll do anything to try and track him down. Perhaps call in favours that up till now she has not used."

Williams nodded in agreement.

"So you want to tell her about Daniel when she gets back here tomorrow. And from there?"

"From there I'm hoping to persuade the General to allow a joint SG-1, SG-2 mission to locate Daniel and Teal'c. After all, we can't just let her wander into dangerous territory on her own."

"Ah," sighed Cameron. "You expect me to help you pitch this idea to Landry don't you."

"Well, can you think of one good reason why we shouldn't try this?"

"Not off the top of my head," admitted Cameron. "But I'm sure several will come to me when we find ourselves stuck in a fire fight with hostile aliens."

Laneth, Ori home galaxy  
1147 hrs

Vala shivered in the cold morning air, hidden as she was amongst the scrub and bush that littered the small rise she waited upon. It was from this camouflaged position that she was able to observe the comings and goings of the planet's populace. More importantly, from here she could keep an eye on the guard that controlled the loading systems for restocking the massive Ori spacecraft that she knew sat in orbit above the planet. It was because of those spacecraft that she was here, in the wet and chill of the foggy air, legs beginning to cramp, watching a bunch of thugs in uniform pick their noses and scratch their arses.

She needed to penetrate the loading area if she wanted any chance of slipping onboard one of the Ori ships. And she needed to be onboard one of those Ori ships if she wanted to make a return journey to the Milky Way galaxy where Daniel, and the rest of the SGC, were waiting for her. Quite what she planned to do once she had gained access to the ship she was not sure. Knocking out the crew and making off with the ship might prove to be something on the difficult, if not impossible, side of the scale. It had been bad enough trying to make away with the _Prometheus_, let alone an Ori battleship.

As she waited in the frosty air Vala decided that it was probably easier to just steal onboard and hide away like a stowaway. On the negative balance, doing so would definitely be much more stressful, having to be on constant watch should any of the Ori's devout faithful stumble on her hidey hole inside the spaceship. Letting out a huff of air in annoyance Vala Mal Doran let the matter drop, putting off the decision of hiding or pirating till she was actually safely onboard. It was a matter of priorities she reminded herself, and pulled back away from the ridge of the rise in order to rest and fill her belly with food and a hot drink.

That she also needed to psyche herself up for this was a given. The Ori demanded fanatical devotion from their followers, and should she fall into those followers hands she was sure that she wouldn't last very long. At least she could go out in a blaze of glory, telling the smug bastards just exactly what she thought of the whole 'give Vala a child' plot that they had foisted upon her a couple of years ago. After all, if she was going to have a child it at least had to have Daniel as a father. Plus, she wanted an awful lot of practise in what went into producing a child in the first place. Preferably with Daniel, although she wasn't going to be picky.

Sipping on her hot drink Vala had to reflect that getting herself stuck out here in the Ori home galaxy in the first place wasn't one of her brightest of moves. She had noted that Daniel hadn't come to rescue her yet, showing some signs of intelligence. The man was sometimes frustratingly myopic, so focussed on his missing colleagues that he failed to see just how good she could be for him. Obviously her efforts in searching for O'Neill and Carter weren't bearing the fruit of Daniel's interest in her like she had hoped. Still, if the wilful obliviousness went on much longer she was simply going to follow him home one day and have her way with him. Vala was sure that Daniel just needed a bout of heady sex in order to sort himself out.

Happy that her plans for the unaware archaeologist were far better thought out and sound, when compared to those of her escape plan, Vala finished her drink and set about securing her tiny bag of gear. Once that was done she slung it onto her back, tugging various straps to hold it in place, and crept back to the ridge line. Her time device bleeped quietly, letting her know that a change of guard was coming up. Her was her chance to sneak into the loading area and she was not going to set around any longer in order to wait for the next. She'd already wasted several days just observing the shifts of the guards and knew that the replacements for those about to come on shift would not arrival for another twelve hours.

Moving slowly and gingerly down the ridge in the general direction of the loading areas, Vala tried to act like just another member of the population of the planet. She hoped she could just slide past in the mild confusion of the changing of the guard. As she drew closer she saw one of the two guards begin to move away from the entrance to the loading area in the opposite direction of where she herself was. Glancing in the direction the guard was moving she spotted the two replacements already approaching via the road that ran past the area.

Vala cursed under her breath as she walked even closer. The new guards were early for once and that little fact was almost enough to force her to scrap her plan straight away. It was only the fact that only one guard remained that kept her on her chosen path. Luck was with her and, as she fell within dashing distance of the loading area door, the second guard turned in the direction the first guard had departed in, moving a dozen steps from the doorway. With a lightness of step Vala bolted the final short distance behind the guard's back and slipped through the door into the less well-lit area that was the loading bay.

Easing the door shut behind herself she quickly located a convenient hiding place and secreted herself in it, hoping desperately that none of the guards had seen her move. She waited in the shadows of her hiding spot, watching and waiting, ever alert for any sign that she had been spotted. Vala was there for at least twenty minutes before she felt comfortable with the idea that her infiltration of the loading bay had gone undetected.

She knew that with either plan, stowing away or hijacking, that she wouldn't be able to get all the way back the Tau'ri home galaxy. That at some point she'd have to abandon ship and somehow sneak across the imaginary border line that separated the two galaxies The most important thing that she'd learnt while here was of some underground railroad that was somehow managing to find and save the rare defectors from the Origin religion and spirit them away to the Tau'ri galaxy. If she was going to have any luck in escaping the Ori, then somehow getting herself onto this railroad was her best bet.

To that end she hoped that she could jump ship at Frenth, the only inhabitable planet in a binary star solar system. She had been informed that it formed part of the railroad and was one of the last stops in Ori controlled space before travelling to the Tau'ri galaxy and freedom. As she sat in silence she figured it would be better to stowaway and leave the ship unnoticed at Frenth, rather than abandon the ship there when she left it and have the Ori discover the railroad. With her mind made up Vala began working on a plan to smuggle herself onboard the Ori starship and find a place to hide out during the voyage.

Goa'uld ha'tak, en route to Tashur  
1743 hrs

Daniel and Teal'c had been left alone at the end of the discussion with Yusen and her fellow female Jaf'fa. Teal'c had slipped into a seated position on the floor, taking the opportunity to enter a light meditative state to help him relax and rest after a very long day. Daniel had climbed onto one of the available beds and had leaned back against the wall the bed was pushed up against. While Teal'c was currently in a state of no thought, Daniel couldn't help but have at least a dozen different thoughts running through his head at the same time.

The discussion with the Jaf'fa had given the archaeologist much to think about. He was trying to work out, from what he and Teal'c had been told, just where Ka'ne and Ha'la sat in the galaxy-wide political situation. Thanks to the efforts of SG-1 over the years, many of the more important and powerful Goa'uld, from Ra to Anubis, had been eliminated. Not all had been defeated, with Ba'al probably the most prominent of those that remained. There was also a much larger number of minor Goa'uld who were attempting to fill the vacuum left by those now dead.

If it wasn't for the discovery of the Ori, and the Wraith in the Pegasus galaxy, then these minor Goa'uld might have been the SGC's top priority. The discovery of this new alliance of unknown Goa'uld was something that had the potential to change the priorities of the SGC. If they were a threat to Earth and chose to attack with their Jaf'fa army, then that would leave Earth vulnerable to the Ori. Daniel could only hope that Yusen was correct in her observation that this new council of Goa'uld had the same objectives as the SGC.

Daniel sighed and rubbed his face. He knew Teal'c was sceptical, and couldn't blame the Jaf'fa after what had happened to the High Priestess friend of his some seven years ago. As far as Teal'c was concerned, a Goa'uld was a Goa'uld. He would not believe that one could change its spots as Yusen was claiming as true of Ka'ne, Ha'la, and their equals on the new council. Yet Yusen seemed earnest and truthful in what she had told them during the long discussion, that these Goa'uld were different to those of their previous masters. She'd even stated they were better than the Tok'Ra.

Turning on his side he groaned and buried his face in the pillow provided to accompany the bed. He'd been at this for almost two hours and was still running in circles. Did the council present the SGC with an new ally, or a new enemy? That was what it boiled down to. In the end Daniel supposed that either way, he and Teal'c would find out once the ha'tak reached its destination of Tashur. For his own part, he didn't really relish standing in front of an alliance of Goa'uld and have them debate his future. He still had too much to do, like finding out what had become of Jack and Sam all those years ago.

The young man tried to push the memories of that fateful mission to the back of his mind where he didn't have to think about it. He certainly didn't want to recall his part in what had happened. Rolling onto his back he stared up at the ceiling of the room and exhaled deeply. Life had certainly gotten both more narrowly defined, as well as complicated since the events of P3X-327. In some respects he wondered if this is what it had been like for the others after he'd ascended. Despite having met Jonas Quinn, he'd never really had much of an opportunity to talk to the man who'd replaced him for a year, and wondered just how people like Jack and Sam had reacted to having an interloper in his place.

He did recall, with some amusement, Jack's reaction to his short-term replacement after the death of Sha're. It had taken Daniel quite some time accept Williams to SG-1, but he still wasn't comfortable with Falstaff, and had to ponder just when, or possibly even if, Jack and Sam had accepted Jonas as a legitimate member of SG-1 and not just some unwanted usurper. If he thought he could get anything out of Teal'c on the matter, he might just take the chance to grill the Jaf'fa about that year that he'd missed.

"What disturbs you, DanielJackson?"

The sudden sensation of sound caused Daniel to whip his head to the side, where he was confronted by the sight of the still seated Teal'c looking at him with his large, dark eyes.

"Just pondering both the past and the future, Teal'c."

"You are worried over what will become of us once we reach Tashur."

"I guess," admitted the archaeologist. "I was trying to work out just how what we have learnt changes things in the wider galaxy."

"You wonder if these Goa'uld are to be our ally or our enemy?"

Daniel nodded in confirmation. "They appear to have the same goals as ourselves, but from my experience the Goa'uld only ever do things for their own benefit."

"Then, perhaps, they are our enemy."

"But I can't see how all this could benefit the Goa'uld."

"An alliance with the SGC would allow them to wipe out the other System Lords, leaving them unopposed in this galaxy," suggested Teal'c.

"You can see that, I can see that, but it's not like any of the Goa'uld have shown any signs of being particularly long-sighted in their goals. They've usually come undone because they're like two-year-olds and want things now, regardless of the risk involved."

"Yes, if they are an enemy of the SGC then this is indeed a long term strategy. And they do have a timetable of sorts."

"They do?"

"Indeed," said Teal'c. "Ka'ne and Ha'la talked of the discovery of ourselves and how it may persuade the council to make themselves known to the wider galaxy and the SGC earlier than planned."

"Did they say 'make themselves known'?"

"I apologise, DanielJackson. I was not quoting the female Goa'uld correctly and used my own interpretation."

"No worries, Teal'c," said Daniel with a smile. "Do you recall what Ha'la did say on this matter?"

"She said that 'the System Lords have begun to fear us this past year, perhaps it is time that the Tau'ri knew of our existence as well?' The subject was then deferred till our arrival at Tashur."

Daniel was almost tearing his hair out at this. "I don't understand these Goa'uld! Everything they seem to say and do is a walking contradiction."

"DanielJackson?"

"Ha'la said the System Lords 'fear' them, which means this council I suppose, but that the SGC would 'know' of their existence. If we are an enemy, wouldn't she have said that we'd fear them too?"

"Maybe? But then I was present during this conversation and perhaps in order to maintain a charade of being friendly she had to modify her choice of words."

"I know I'm dreading reaching this planet Tashur, but in some ways it'll also be a relief. At least then we'll get the answer to this conundrum. I want to believe them, and everything that Yusen has told us, but from bitter experience I know that we can't just blindly trust any Goa'uld who claims to have changed their spots."

Teal'c just knew from that little speech that the younger man was thinking of P3X-327.

"Then the situation is simple, DanielJackson. We simply act as if they are Goa'uld bent on destroying ourselves and Earth, in the meantime leaving them ample opportunity to act otherwise and convince ourselves of the truth of their words."

"We don't play along?" asked Daniel to make sure he'd heard right, to which the Jaf'fa nodded. "I would have thought that playing along would allow them a sense of security in believing that they have convinced us, providing the opportunity for one of them to make a mistake. To slip up and reveal the truth to us by accident."

"That option may leave us open to giving up information about the SGC, perhaps even something that one would not be wise to divulge, DanielJackson," argued Teal'c.

"But if we treat them like aggressors, the chances are that they'll be forced to act like aggressors," reasoned Daniel as he sat up in order to allow himself the room to gesture with his hands as he was wont to do.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

"Doing that does not constitute winning an argument, Teal'c," scowled Daniel, finger waving at the misbehaving eyebrow.

"They've treated us better than the Goa'uld usually do." At the Jaf'fa's silent treatment Daniel feel compelled to add, "So far."

"Indeed. But for what purpose? If these Goa'uld are of the same mind as ourselves then they will prove it with action, not words, DanielJackson."

Daniel slumped in his position on the bed. "I guess. I just wanted ... I don't really know what I was thinking. They're Goa'uld. They'll betray us sooner or later."

There was a long silence between the two friends, before Teal'c finally ventured an opinion. "I believe that you wanted to believe in something that does not mean that O'Neill and ColonelCarter were lost to us three years ago."

The archaeologist looked away, staring down at the coverings of the bed.

"I share your desire to know that they are not gone, DanielJackson, but I fear your wishes in that matter are clouding your judgement in this one."

Daniel nodded, accepting the mild rebuke from his alien friend. With that settled, both of one mind to treat their captors as hostile till proven beyond a doubt that they were peaceful, the two began discussing possible scenarios for their arrival on Tashur.

SGC  
April 12th, 2008  
0730 hrs

"What you are asking of me," summed up Landry after the impassioned petition from Williams, "is to allow you to take a team in search of our two missing SG-1 members, who may or may not be involved in some wild goose chase, hunting for the phantoms of O'Neill and Carter."

Since the loss of the two original members of the premiere SG unit, Dr Jackson had on occasion been prone to putting himself, and sometime others, in danger in order to follow up a lead on the whereabouts of his two missing-in-action friends. Admittedly, in the three years since the pair had gone missing on the front lines, Daniel's foolhardy pursuit of fleeting information had slowly become less common. In the early days, soon after O'Neill and Carter had gone missing, it was almost the rule that on every new mission that SG-1 went on the archaeologist would end up running off after a source of information. The lack of clues, and Landry himself reaming the younger man out when one time his pursuit of intelligence put Teal'c and Williams in the infirmary for three months, had tempered Daniel's hot-headed nature in terms of finding his friends.

Landry looked at the two officers waiting for his decision and sighed. Daniel hadn't acted like this in almost a year, the same length of time that had passed since O'Neills and Carter's status was altered from MIA to KIA, and the fact that Teal'c had seemingly joined the bespectacled man suggested to Landry that this possibly wasn't the same wild hunt-for-a-snark that previous escapades had been. The archaeologist may just have truly found something important. If that was the case then the two currently AWOL SG-1 team members might soon need backup or rescue. Either way, Landry concluded, he needed to send someone after them.

"What I will offer you gentlemen is this. You may contact any of our off world allies and find out what they know about what happened to Jackson and Teal'c on P4X-607. Should you get some solid intel on their current location then, circumstances considered, I'll allow you to take a team after them."

"Thank you, Sir," said Williams. Mitchell simply nodded his thanks.

With that, the two were dismissed from the General's office and soon found themselves wandering one of the many grey and faceless corridors of the SGC complex. The pair made their way to the commissary in search of food, or the equivalent that was served there.

They had only just got themselves seated at one of the empty tables available when a group of two men and one woman wandered into the room. All three called out to Mitchell with words of welcome before fetching their own meals. Williams recognised them as the rest of SG-2, Mitchell's team that Vala sometimes was a member of. Taking his eyes off the new arrivals, the Major pointed his fork at Cameron.

"Do you think the General was just humouring me in there?" he asked, referring to the short conference only minutes earlier.

Mitchell cocked his head and pondered that thought for a moment, but then said with no hesitation that Landry didn't seem the type. "If anything," added Cameron, "I think Landry is on your side with this one. Jackson and Teal'c could well be in over their heads if they did truly find a lead on O'Neill and Carter."

"So it wasn't a sop to get me to drop the matter then?"

"No." Cameron shook his head and suddenly found himself squashed in on both sides as the two other males members of SG-2 sat down on either side of him. The Lt. Colonel accepted the playful ribbing he was getting from his team.

"Yeah, yeah. Squash the little guy." And he was the little guy. The pair that had sat down either side were built large. Both rivalled Teal'c for height and bulk, the scene reminding Williams of the occasional humorous cartoon of some weedy little man sat between two big men in a prison cell.

"Did you hear something?" asked the man on Mitchell's right of the man to Mitchell's left.

"I don't think so. Maybe something squeaking? Like a mouse?"

The third, and female, part of the Lt. Colonel's team sat down opposite the improvised comedy routine and next to Williams. She wasn't laughing, but Christopher easily caught the amused twinkle in her eye as they greeted one another.

"I don't like mice," said the first, shuffling a little closer to the other large man and crushing Mitchell further in the process. "Hold me."

The second complied and within seconds Cameron was gasping for breath in one of the tightest bear hugs he'd ever received, both men squeezing quite hard. Williams was beginning to laugh, a glare sent to him by Mitchell through a gap in the two men's' arms serving only to stoke his laughter even higher. The female officer meanwhile was having a hard time getting the spoon she held to her mouth, her arm shaking so much with suppressed laughter.

At this point one of the men badly faked a look of puzzlement and looked down to see the head of their commanding officer sandwiched between their two chests. The pair suddenly let go and Mitchell sucked in huge lung fulls of air.

"Sorry, Sir. Didn't see you there," said the first insincerely.

Once he'd gotten his breath back Mitchell could only smile ruefully and shake his head. "Chris, you remember Tweedledee and Tweedledum?"

The indicated men puffed out their chests in mock pride.

"Captain 'Spank Me' Dodgeson and Lieutenant 'Hurt Me' Evans," said Williams, remembering all too well the last time he'd tangled with the pair. That had involved the planet P9X-004, a can of whipped cream, a stuffed toy monkey, and a very surprised Landry and Harriman on the other end of the MALP.

That comment caused the still up-to-now silent woman at the table to begin giggling. Mitchell eyed his second-in-command. "No giggling, Major."

"Yes, Sir!" replied Major Potter as she managed to shovel another spoonful of Fruit Loops into her mouth between giggles.

"It's nice to see you running such a nice, tight operation with SG-2," commented Williams with a sparkle in his eye.

"Bite me," retorted Cameron with a huge face-splitting grin.

"So, that's 'Spank Me', 'Hurt Me', and now 'Bite Me'," counted off Williams as he pointed at the men in turn. Potter was busy choking on her milk and loops from laughing too hard.

Dodgeson and Evans both clapped Mitchell on the back, almost shoving the man face first into his oatmeal. "Welcome to the team, Sir!" the pair chorused.

Finally the noise and laughed died down, and the stares from the rest of the commissary went away, and the five settled in to their breakfasts.

"So, what were you two talking about, Sir, if I may ask?" queried Potter of her commanding officer.

"You're aware of what happened to the other half of SG-1," asked Cameron as he nodded to Christopher.

"Sir, how could I not. It was round the base in under an hour."

"I swear this place has nothing better to do than gossip," chipped in Evans.

"Anyway," argued Mitchell, "the point is that Williams wants to launch a rescue mission to recover our two wayward SG members and Landry has given the provisional go ahead."

"Provisional, Sir?"

"Well, there is the slight snag in that we've no idea where they are right now," admitted Williams.

"So, we're going to be making contact with our allies out there and see if they know where the pair have ended up. Once we do, and we've convinced Landry that a mission is possible, we'll be gearing up and shipping out," continued Mitchell.

"We'll be ready whenever, Sir," stated Potter.

"And Vala will be most likely joining us," added Williams.

Mitchell groaned. "That's not likely to get them to interested in going, Chris," muttered the ranking officer at the table.

"Where is that woman anyway?" asked Dodgeson.

"That," said Cameron, pointing at his subordinate, "is a very good question." He turned to Williams. "Do we have any idea where she is?"

"Do we really need her?" Potter's voice had a little bit of a whine to it.

"In answers to both questions, yes."

"Yes?" teased Mitchell.

Williams fired a glare at Cameron. "Yes. We need her because she has more contacts out there than we do and would be more likely to gain a lead on our two missing men. And as to the other, she was last heard to be out near P5X-944."

"That's quite close to Ori controlled space, Sir," pointed out Evans, referring to the small chunk of the Milky Way now occupied by the slowly advancing forces of the Ori.

"Quite so, but contacting Vala will be among our first steps to finding Daniel and Teal'c."

Frenth  
1256 hrs

Getting onboard the Ori spacecraft from the loading bay had eventually proven easier than Vala had anticipated. So had hiding herself away on the ship till it came close to her chosen destination, the crew of the ship far too consumed by their individual tasks to pay any heed to the tiny signs that they might have a stowaway on their ship. This meant that the journey to Frenth had passed peacefully for Vala, with no sudden discoveries by a crew member occurring. She'd told herself not to sleep, lest she be caught napping, but in the end the dull roar of the engines during flight and the boredom of having nothing to do had lulled her to sleep.

Which is why the sudden jolt as the ship decelerated and dropped out of hyperspace was welcome for Vala, despite the bruises she received as she'd slid across the floor of her hiding space and slammed into the opposite wall. Now painfully awake and her time of jumping ship upon her, Vala secured her belongings once more, making sure no sign she'd been there was left behind, and smuggled herself into a delivery of materials to the planet Frenth that the ship was slipping into orbit around.

Vala had to admit to herself that she was taking a desperate gamble, since Frenth _was_ an Ori controlled planet and that the railroad back into non-Ori space was merely rumour, not something that she'd personally been witness to before. But it was still better than being caught onboard the Ori battleship and taken back deeper into Ori held territory. The cargo ship delivery seemed to take forever as well as only seconds. Part of that was due to the rough and ready ride of the cargo ship as it descended to the planet and through the atmosphere to the waiting station on the surface.

Again lots of waiting ensued as she positioned herself for the best kind of escape from the processing centre—unnoticed. It was almost dusk by the time Vala managed to make a break for freedom from the base, long after the cargo ship had returned to the battlecrusier in orbit. She'd eventually been forced to gamble on making a run for an exit since the supplies she been hiding amongst had been slowly whittled down since arrival. Once she'd exited the base Vala had worked on putting as much space between herself and the plant as possible, not wanting to hang around and be caught by some passing worker loyal to the Ori.

The only problem with escaping into the twisted streets of the Frenth capital city was that it too was Ori-controlled. If she spoke to the wrong people in the wrong manner she would easily wind up back where she started—in the hands of the Ori. What she needed was to locate the railroad that was rumoured to use Frenth as one stopping points. For that, all she had was a name: Marcouth. Which, when she thought about it, wasn't really an awful lot to go on. Marcouth could easily be the Frenth equivalent of 'Smith' back amongst the Tau'ri. She'd have to ask Daniel once she saw him.

The light was beginning to fail as Vala made her arrival in one of the town squares of the city. The city was not as technologically advanced as that of her friends among the Tau'ri, Vala estimating it to be somewhat medieval based on what little of Earth history she had learnt from Dr Jackson. Like a number of medieval cities on Earth, the Frenth capital city was divided into a number of courts depending on which guild of workers held sway in that area. From the cast of the markings about this particular square Vala wondered if she was in some sort of metal working area.

Despite the still reasonably large number of people bustling about the square as the lazy sun dropped closer to the horizon and the shadows grew long, Vala felt terribly exposed as she crossed the courtyard in search of some clue that might just lead her to Marcouth and freedom. Frenth was a planet she'd only known by repute till now, with it only coming to greater awareness for her once she'd learnt of its part in the railroad. But one fact had always been to the forefront of her mind, that it was controlled by the Ori through their Priors. And standing in that square she was immediately reminded of this fact by a Prior and his attendants sweeping through.

Vala took care to keep her head down, as if looking at the wares of a stall that looked as if it would begin packing up once she'd moved on. She just had to hope that if the Prior looked in this direction that he didn't pay any real attention to her attire. Because, despite the tattered brown cloak she wore over her usual clothing, much of her standard attire was visible in the gaps that the cloak didn't cover. At a distance she was fine, but if the Prior got to close then the illusion wouldn't work.

As the Prior departed from the courtyard, disappearing with his retinue into the dark shadows of one of the streets leading away from the square, Vala let herself sigh slightly in relief. That was one worry dodged for now. The vendor, at whose stall she was pretending to browse, gave her a queer look and sized her up more closely.

"You're not from around here, are you?" he whispered quietly into her ear, causing her to start suddenly.

Vala swung her head to catch the man's gaze. "Pardon?"

The stall owner held a piece of merchandise in front of her, some kind of root vegetable, and repeated his question softly once more. Vala made a split second decision. She couldn't afford to rough it on the streets of the city till such time as she located Marcouth and escape Frenth, needing both food and shelter till then. So, she decided there and then to throw her lot in with this seemingly kind vendor and hope for the best.

"No, I'm from out of town."

"And what brings you here?"

"Ah," paused Vala, "I'm in need of food and shelter."

"Do you carry currency?" asked the vendor.

"I do not, I'm afraid. I am from a little further afield than the next town or village."

"Ah!" exclaimed the man as he slapped the side of his stall. "You are not of this world are you not?"

"No," admitted Vala, hoping this wasn't the point in the conversation where the man turned her over to the Priors.

"Then you shall come with me, and with my family experience the delights of Frenth hospitality."

"You're sure?"

"Indeed. Just give a moment or two in order to pack up my stall." With that the vendor began to stow his displayed wares back into the small boxes that sat behind the stall.

Willing, for now, to accept such generosity at face value, Vala pitched in and began to help the man in the packing. With two at the job it didn't take long for the stall to be packed and closed for the day, Vala marvelling over the variety of earthen and metal pots and bowls the man had been attempting to sell. By this point the sky had turned blood red and much of the square had fallen into murky shadow, Vala able to make out many a closed stall in the gloom.

"Come, come," invited the man as he began to pull the small cart, now piled high with boxes, deeper into a darkened street leading off from the courtyard.

With no better offers, Vala shrugged her shoulders and dropped into step next to the man.

xxx

Goa'uld ha'tak, en route to Tashur  
1956 hrs

Daniel and Teal'c had been left pretty much to their own devices since being confined to their room onboard the ha'tak. Ha'la and Ka'ne seemed to be sticking to their word to leave the SG-1 member's fates up to the council on Tashur with the two Goa'uld, for lack of a better word, having not once moved to talk to the pair since their capture. Yusen, their female Jaf'fa retainer, had stopped by with her team of warriors to ask Teal'c questions. Daniel's friend had later admitted to being nonplussed by the questions being asked, as none of them pertained to the security of Earth and SGC. Nor were the Jaf'fa after information on Earth's allies and their worlds. Instead Teal'c had been asked to recount his victories over various Goa'uld in the past in the traditional Jaf'fa style reserved for stories of battle.

The younger man had found it a little amusing to watch Teal'c acting as storyteller as he described the events that led to the fall of Apophis, Sokar, Anubis, and the many other Goa'uld that had met their end at the hands of SG-1. The female Jaf'fa had 'oohed' and 'aahed' at the appropriate moments during the progress of each tale and Daniel had to admit that his friend had a flair for the telling of a tale. He also found it enlightening to hear each adventure from Teal'c point of view, something that had not always been evident in the Jaf'fa's written reports for the SGC. Daniel himself had fallen asleep during the adventure on Netu and had awoken to what his watch told him was the following day and Teal'c in the middle of narrating Anubis' attack on Earth. Despite loosing his symbiote some time ago, the Jaf'fa still managed to get by with less sleep than the archaeologist.

The female Jaf'fa were now long since gone and so too was the most recent meal that the pair had been served, Teal'c finally willing to trust the food after the previous nights meal had not struck Daniel dead instantly.

"I see you're cultivating quite the fan club there, Teal'c," observed Daniel after the long silence that had followed dinner. "Better not let Ishta hear about it or she might get a tad jealous."

"There is no fear of that, DanielJackson," smirked the big Jaf'fa as he sat on the floor of the room and watched a solitary candle flicker idly.

"Really? May I ask why?"

"Of course," replied Teal'c.

There followed a pause until Daniel realised that Teal'c was waiting for him to ask the question. Daniel sat up from the bed he'd been lounging on since dinner and fixed Teal'c with a stare. The corner of the Jaf'fa's mouth crinkled slightly and the younger man knew that Teal'c had been playing him. "So," said Daniel through gritted teeth, although his eyes sparkled with delight at being able to verbally spar with Teal'c, "why won't Ishta be less than understanding?"

"Simply because she will know exactly under what circumstances we have been placed."

Daniel swung his legs off the bed. "Now, I'm not an expert when it comes to women, but you may not get the chance to fully explain yourself. Jealousy is good at causing deafness."

"There is no need to explain myself for she will know long before we meet face to face once more."

"Uh huh." Daniel shook his head sadly. "Look, Teal'c, this isn't something you can do via a radio communication through the gate."

"You misunderstand, DanielJackson. Ishta will know simply because one of her Jaf'fa is among Yusen's guard."

"What?" squawked Daniel.

"Did you not notice her among those who attended to hear the tales of SG-1?"

"No," admitted the archaeologist. "I can't say that I had. Are you sure?"

"Indeed. I have no doubt in my mind that once that Jaf'fa has the opportunity that she will inform Ishta of our situation. And Ishta in turn will inform the SGC and GeneralLandry."

"Okay," acknowledged Daniel slowly. "That's all well and good, if you're right about her. But I hope you haven't forgotten our earlier speculation about spies among the ranks of the Free Jaf'fa?"

Teal'c met Daniel's long stare.


	3. Vala's Adventures Underground

Well, here it is, Chapter 3 of "Behind Enemy Lines" some nine months after the last chapter was posted. While I am a little apologetic about the lengthy delay, I had warned that this story was of a lesser priority than getting "Lady of the Gate" finished (about 7 chapters to go in that story!). I'm pretty sure that this chapter will be a crushing disappointment to all those who have waited all that time for a new chapter, which is perhaps unfortunate since this story out of all of mine has attracted the most interest (in terms of reviews per chapter and author/story alerts - the only measure of reader enjoyment avaliable on Hopefully Chapter 4 will be a step up in quality and quicker in coming!

xxx

**THREE: Vala's Adventures Underground**

Frenth

April 12th, 2008

2017 hrs

The street vendor, whom Vala had learnt was named Jarim, had led her through the winding and narrow streets of Frenth, keeping up a quiet but continuous spiel about who lived where and how they were doing. Vala had absolutely no interest in the soap opera-like antics of Jarim's local community, but figured that this monologue allowed the man some measure of control over his nerves. Taking in a strange offworlder after all wasn't always the smartest thing to be doing, and Jarim had to be weighing up in his mind the possible outcomes of accepting her into his home for the night.

Vala might have been a bit on the selfish side of things, but she wasn't about to cause this man or his family any trouble — if she could help it. Trouble drew people's attention, and the attention of the Priors was the last things she wanted while she was trapped on Frenth looking for a way onto the underground. She followed Jarim as she drew his cart under a darkened archway and into a absolutely tiny, square courtyard. There was barely enough room for the cart and the two of them. Parking up the cart, Jarim led her back out through the archway where she watched the vendor pull shut a gate and lock up with a giant key.

Pocketing the key, Jarim held out his arm and waited for Vala to take it. Shrugging to herself, she took his arm and was walked to a nearby wooden door upon which Jarim rapped with his knuckles. A slot in the door slid open and a pair of eyes checked to the two out. Seconds later the slot closed and there came the sound of the door being unlocked and a bolt being drawn back. The wooden door swung inwards quite smoothly despite the immense weight of the door, and Vala was plunged into a most welcoming sight.

Jarim's home was warm and lit by the light of numerous candles. In one corner of the main room a fire roared delightfully, adding heat and extra light to the room which, as her eyes adjusted, Vala realised was akin to a kitchen. Various cooking implements surrounded the hearth and what looked like a cast iron oven door was set into the wall just above the fire place. A large table dominated the room and as well as a second door on the opposite side of the room, there was also a steep set of steps leading upwards to a second floor which could only just be glimpsed through the hole in the ceiling.

The eyes that had appeared at the door when they had been let in turned out to belong to a young woman of about twenty years, who Jarim quickly introduced as his daughter Marika. She'd been cooking downstairs, preparing a meal for her father to eat upon his arrival home. With a quick hello, the young woman ducked back to the meal preparation, having to find some way of doubling the portions of the cooking dinner so that Vala would have something to east as well.

With his daughter's introductions out of the way, Jarim fell back into his non-stop monologue, explaining that Vala would find his son Fallon and wife Hera upstairs in the family room. Vala had asked if she should go up to be introduced, but both Jarim and Marika dissuaded her of that idea, telling her that she should eat first. With a shrug Vala carefully pulled a chair up to the table and sat day, finally allowing herself a small chance to relax after what had been a prolonged and tiring ordeal. Her escape from Ori controlled space was going as smoothly as she had hoped. Her current stumbling block was locating the underground railroad and the idea that such an endeavour could take days or even longer did not sit well with her.

Vala's slightly morose train of thought was interrupted by a bowl and a hunk of bread being set down on the table in front of her. She looked up to see Marika and gave the woman her thanks. Marika just bobbed her head and repeated her actions with her father, receiving a kiss on the cheek from Jarim as thanks for her efforts. With both served, Marika set about tidying up for the night, retreating into the background as the two at the table sized up their evening meal.

"Now, Vala, what brings you to Frenth?"

The woman in question paused, a hunk of stew covered bread halfway to her lips, and looked up at Jarim. Carefully placing the bread on the edge of her plate Vala considered her options. If Jarim didn't turn out as trustworthy as he currently made himself appear to be then there was a good chance that she'd wake tomorrow to find herself back in the clutches of the Ori. On the other hand, if she'd didn't trust him she might just miss out on the 'underground railroad' if Jarim was the contact that she was looking for within Frenth.

"I'm looking for someone," Vala finally said, picking her bread up once more and beginning to eat her dinner before it became cold.

"Interesting," commented an intrigued Jarim. "Anyone in particular, or just a sort of general _someone_?"

"Someone in particular," replied Vala, feeling that that wasn't particularly sensitive information.

Jarim cast an odd look at Vala after that sentence. "Perhaps the lady should refrain from talking and eating at the same time," he said, brushing bread crumbs from the table top.

"Perhaps the man shouldn't be asking questions of the lady while she is eating then," retorted Vala before dipping another hunk of bread in her stew.

"Agreed," said Jarim and the pair finished their dinners in silence, only the crackle of the fire and the sounds of eating filling the room.

Some time later, once the meal was over and the cutlery and crockery dealt with, Vala and Jarim sat facing each other from two wooden chairs on either side of the fireplace.

"So," drawled Jarim, "we are back to the original question I guess. Which particular someone would bring a stranger like you to Frenth?"

Vala shrugged. "Just a simple someone that I need to talk to. Only I have no idea where to look other than this great city."

"Perhaps I can help then. Through my trading I do have a great number of contacts throughout the city and the surrounding region. If the person you are looking for is further abroad however then I possibly won't be able to help."

"My information says that the one I am looking for is somewhere here."

"Well then, Vala, does this someone have a name?"

The woman fixed the vendor with a penetrating stare. This was a fifty-fifty choice for Vala and she had little external information to sway her in either direction.

"I take it you are unsure if you should trust me," commented Jarim as the stare from Vala had gone on without comment from her.

Vala gave a sharp nod. Jarim's brow furrowed at this and looked away into the roaring fire for a moment.

"I'm not sure what I could say that might convince you that I am a trustworthy man," mused Jarim. "Perhaps we are better to leave the issue for tonight and ponder it tomorrow when we are better rested?"

Vala agreed and Jarim called his daughter down from upstairs so that she might take Vala and make her comfortable for the night.

Tashur

April 13th, 2008

0543 hrs

Daniel had been woken by a sudden shudder that had rippled through the ha'tak. He had sat up in bed to be confronted by the sight of Teal'c already standing, head cocked to one side as if listening for something. The younger man moved to ask the Jaf'fa precisely what he was doing at this hour of the morning that had woken him up, only to he hushed to silence. The pair waited in the quiet and occasional tremors ran through the room. Teal'c glanced over at Daniel.

"I believe we have arrived at Tashur."

"Really?"

"Indeed. The ship dropped out of hyperspace a few minutes ago."

The archaeologist stood and moved stand next to the Jaf'fa. "Time to face the music then, huh?"

"I am afraid I do not understand where music falls into this current scenario. We are likely to facing something far more dangerous to ourselves and the SGC than music, DanielJackson." Daniel stared at the taller man. "Unless it is Country and Western."

Daniel found a silly grin spreading across his face and he began laughing out loud, so much so that he had to sit down once more and wrap his arms around himself. "Oh I needed that," admitted Daniel once he'd calmed down from his laughing fit.

The pair remained standing and listening to the faint sounds of the ship while they waited the inevitable arrival of someone to take them to meet the Council as Ka'ne and Ha'la had said would happen. They were both proven correct when Yusen made an appearance at the door to the room, flanked by her team of female Jaf'fa.

"I am pleased to see that you are both ready. If you would follow me."

With that she stepped back into the corridor and began moving away, allowing Teal'c and Daniel space within which to fall into step behind, being quickly surrounded on all sides by the other Jaf'fa. The group wound their way through the ship in the direction of what Teal'c was sure would be the main ring room.

"If you don't mind my asking?' asked Daniel, hand reached out in front of him as if he was about to tap Yusen on the shoulder as she walked in front of him.

Yusen cast a look back over her shoulder at Daniel and gave him a small smile. "No, I don't mind," she replied as she once more fixed her gaze forward.

"Ah, yes, well. What I wanted to know ... if it's okay for you to answer that is. I wouldn't want you to get into trouble with this Council for me. Well, as I was saying, what I wanted to know is if we'll be talking to Ka'ne or Ha'la again before we're presented to this council. It'd be nice to know what sort of cultural niceties Teal'c and I should be observing ..."

"If you can restrain yourselves from trying to attack anyone here, then that should be all of the _niceties_ that you need to follow," Yusen commented wryly.

"No elaborate ceremonies then?"

"None I'm afraid, Dr Jackson." Yusen couldn't help smile slightly at the fallen look on the young man's face. "The convening of a council is all about business, not pomp and circumstance."

"And we are the business?"

"Some of it," admitted Yusen to the continually questioning SGC member. "Other matters of importance will also be discussed. The pair of you, however, will only be present when you yourselves are the topic of debate."

"So there will be debate?" was Teal'c's contribution to the Q&A session.

"Indeed." Teal'c raised an eyebrow at having his favourite utterance bounced back at him.

Yusen continued, "Your discovery of our existence could potentially play havoc with the previously established timetable. Some on the council will be concerned with our discovery and what it means for the timetable. Others, like Ka'ne and Ha'la, will perhaps argue that as things stand that an acceleration of events is not unwelcome."

"And which events might those be?"

"Things best left unsaid for now Dr Jackson."

The female Jaf'fa paused as the group entered a lift to take them to another level. Daniel wasn't keeping an eye on where he was going, too eager to squeeze further information from Yusen. Teal'c on the other hand was making note of their journey just in case an opportunity might present itself and such information prove useful. While this was a Goa'uld ha'tak, some of the layout was unusual of not of standard practice. Like the different battle style of the Jaf'fa on P4X-607, this fresh revelation suggested to Teal'c that these Goa'uld were far more formidable than those previously dealt with. These ones didn't seem arrogant enough to overlook potential security issues.

This last though led Teal'c to wonder at just how easily he and DanielJackson had penetrated the ha'tak in the first place. From what he'd seen so far, the pair of them should never made it so far into the ha'tak undetected. A frown formed on Teal'c's face as the lift began its descent, the idea that he and DanielJackson had been _allowed_ to sneak onboard the ha'tak was an unpleasant thought. From what he'd observed, Ha'la and Ka'ne seemed to be part of the faction pushing for an acceleration of the mentioned 'timetable', and there was now the chance that he and DanielJackson had been allowed to board the ha'tak so as to provide that faction with some leverage at the upcoming council meeting.

Such a line of thought led to the speculation that the opposing faction may see the presence of DanielJackson and himself as inconvenient_things_ in need of removal. Needless to say, the stoic Jaf'fa was of the mind not to let that happen any time soon. He shook his head slightly to derail the train of thought in time to hear Daniel as a question about the makeup of the Jaf'fa under Ka'ne and Ha'la's command.

"The efforts of many factions within this galaxy, your SGC included, have done much to dismantle the empires of the Goa'uld. With the addition of the Priors much of Jaf'fa society has been in flux. The council has simply provided the means by which those Jaf'fa who wish to preserve their families from the bloodshed can remove themselves from the situation.

"You make it sound like a refugee camp of sorts," responded Daniel with a confused look on his face, eyes squinting behind his glasses.

"In some respects it can be seen like that. Others chose to see it as the building of a new Jaf'fa nation, one free from the bondage of the Goa'uld past and the dogma of the encroaching Priors."

"And the Free Jaf'fa Nation?" rumbled Teal'c, curious to hear Yusen's thoughts on the formative government based at Dakara that he'd tried to foster.

"Corrupt, split into warring factions, and riddled with the taint of the Priors," was the female Jaf'fa's summation.

Daniel had to wonder if that was really her impression of the situation or mere her spouting the party line. So far, despite some differences, the archaeologist was having a hard time seeing any true difference between the Goa'uld power structures of old and the one that Ka'ne and Ha'la were supposedly a part of. Some of that might have been because of the armed guards currently marshalling them of out the now stationary lift and into a new corridor.

Frenth

0611 hrs

Vala wouldn't have described as the best nights sleep she'd ever had, her subconscious mind on high alert for any sound that indicated that Jarmin had contacted the Priors and that they were coming to take her away. She was used to sleeping thus, having made many enemies in her life, but that didn't mean that she enjoyed sleeping with one eye open.

Still, she'd had enough sleep that when she was woken at six o'clock in the morning by Jarmin's daughter that she didn't bring the house down with her bitter cursing at the early hour. In fact, one quick glance showed that dawn hadn't even taken place yet. This led to the unusual situation of having the hot bath, that Marika had drawn, by candlelight.

Refreshed and dressed Vala made her way downstairs to find Marika working at the stove top and Jarim nursing some sort of hot drink in his hands. Jarim's son and daughter-in-law were nowhere to be seen.

"Have I missed Fallon and Hera?" Vala asked, curious to meet the couple that she'd missed last night after retiring late.

Jarim shook his head. "They are still abed. Fallon will be up with the break of dawn however, and I decided that it might be better if I have you on your way before he wakes."

"I sense potential problems?"

Jarim sighed and drew his shoulders back. "I'm not a devout believer in the Ori. I know enough to get by and lead a hassle free life, but Fallon ... Fallon is more than a little fanatical."

Vala narrowed her eyes, worried by the potential of being uncovered and handed over by Fallon.

Jarim caught her look. "Do not panic, Vala. This is why we are leaving at this early time."

Silence fell over the table as Marika placed a simple bowl of food and a hot drink identical to Jarim's in front of Vala. Vala thanked Marika and gratefully began eating.

"Now, to help you," began Jarim as Vala ate (contrary to the previous evenings conversation about eating and questions), "I feel I must ask you if you will give me the name of the _someone_ that you wish to contact within the city."

Vala put her spoon down and took a swig of her drink, letting the hot liquid warm her insides.

"Marcouth," she eventually ventured. "I'm looking for someone by the name of Marcouth."

"I can' say that I know someone by that name—"

Jarim was interrupted by the sound of Marika dropping her ladle on the stone floor of the kitchen. "Marcouth?" she managed to say in a strangled voice.

Her father fixed her with a penetrating gaze. "What do you know of this_Marcouth_, daughter," Jarim demanded.

Marika looked down at the fallen ladle rather than meet her father's eyes, and wrung her apron with her hands. Vala could see that the younger woman was uncomfortable.

"Marika," she said, amazed that she was going to even venture this information since it removed further leverage with the young woman, "Marika, I'm not looking for Marcouth to take him away from you."

The young woman looked up in surprise, somewhat floored that the strange visitor had correctly seen her worries. "You're not?" she eventually stammered out.

Vala shook her head. "No, but I do need to find him. Can you help me?"

Working a small, timid smile on to her face Marika answered in the positive. Quickly things were rearranged so that Marika could abandon the breakfast she was preparing to the care of her father. He would serve the meal up to Fallon and Hera, while Marika lead Vala through the morning streets of Frenth. With a hug of her father, and Vala giving her grudging thanks to the vendor, Marika helped Vala wrap up against the cold and the two women slipped out the front door and into the failing dark that marked the beginnings of dawn.

SGC

0737 hrs

"It's kinda weird, don'tcha think?"

Chris has to pause at that and fix Cameron with a 'please explain' look since the Major had no idea what the Lt. Colonel could possibly be talking about. Unless it was the Fruit Loops he'd chosen for breakfast that morning, Mitchell having announced a sudden aversion to oatmeal after having his face dipped in it the previous morning by dumb and dumber.

"That the moment that we _want_ to find Vala, so that she can help us with finding your two missing buddies, is the moment that she decides _not_ to grace the SGC with her presence. Don't you find that just a little too ..." Here Mitchell paused to search for the right word, hand holding his spoon waving in circles in the air.

"Too?" prompted Chris.

"I don't know," shrugged Mitchell finally. "But whatever it is, it is too much of it."

"Right," agreed Chris, the current conversation about as clear as mud to him at this point. But then when the day starts with a one-man debate over the merits of Fruit Loops and oatmeal, Williams tended to peg the day as a write-off from the start. Still, at least he was guaranteed to get a _lot_ of paperwork done today.

Cameron took another spoonful of loops. "Any luck with our allies off world yet?"

Chris shook his head. They'd begun contacting their allies yesterday and most had not yet bothered to reply. Which was typical behaviour for all concerned. Those few who had made contact since a message had been sent had all come back with negatives. Neither Dr Jackson, nor Teal'c, had been seen. It was like P4X-607 had just swallowed them up whole without a trace.

"And no doubt the Tok'Ra haven't deigned to respond?" questioned Mitchell.

"Big, fat zero there. Mind you, they hadn't even bothered to reply when Landry sent a message asking about who Ba'al might have been attacking on '607. I'm guessing that we won't hear boo out of them for a while."

"That sucks," summed up Cameron.

"I guess. Ever since General Carter and his 'snake' Sel'mak passed on, they've not been so keen to keep in contact."

"Whatever happened to him, anyway?"

"Who? General Carter?"

Mitchell nodded as he began scraping the last drop of milk from the bottom of his cereal bowl. "Was a rumour he'd been poisoned or something."

"No idea. Still, in the grand scheme of things it simply marked another step in the deterioration of our relationship with the Tok'Ra."

"And now we have the Ori breathing down our collective necks, with Vala out of reach and Jackson and Teal'c missing. How the hell are we supposed to get a search for some 'Ark of Truth' started when we don't have Jackson around to point us in the right direction?" Mitchell tossed his spoon into the empty cereal bowl.

"We probably won't," admitted Williams, "which is why we need him, and why we need Vala's help to find _him_. And Landry's not going to let us go poking about looking for her without some sort of lead."

Mitchell groaned at the injustice of a universe that would make him _go looking_ for Vala just when she was spending time _away_ from the SGC and SG-2. "Then," he said taking a swig of coffee and grinning at the absurdity of the situation, "we'll just have to manufacture a lead."

Tashur

0743 hrs

Daniel and Teal'c had immediately noticed the difference is their surroundings once the bright blur of the ring device had faded. There was no sign of any traditional Goa'uld decor in the area that welcomed them, nor in anything that the saw after that. This was enough cause to have the two SG-1 members to exchange a glance and a frown, dealing as they were with a group of Goa'uld who seemed to shirk much of the traditional trappings. This made the council they would meet an even greater unknown quantity.

The Tok'Ra had lived in fairly spartan accommodation for the last few thousand or so years, but this had been purely because of the temporary nature of their hidden bases. There was little point in expending effort in re-creating the finery of the Goa'uld if there was the possibility that tomorrow the place would be bombed out of existence. This led Daniel to wonder if the Tok'Ra _would_ indulge in the same ostentation of the Goa'uld if they could.

This group wasn't bothering with the finery and as yet Daniel and Teal'c had no idea whether this was through choice or necessity. The military might that had been displayed so far suggested that they could defend themselves easily and thus had no need to abandon their places of power, which had Daniel leaning towards this council_choosing_ to adopt a more frugal style of decoration.

Teal'c had chosen that moment to interrupt Daniel's thoughts on this particular dynamic to whisper that so far, from their walk through this new establishment, the place was laid out more like the SGC than a traditional Goa'uld stronghold. It was simply another small military observation that irked Teal'c, aware with each revelation that the army controlled by this council was proving to be better organised and more formidable than first thought from the one-sided battle against Ba'al that they had observed.

The two men were led to their temporary quarters where they would remain till they were needed during the council deliberations. Yusen informed them that this would also be where they waited while the same council then debated their continued future. With such a _cheery_ thought Daniel stepped into the room, Teal'c close on his heels, and surveyed the place. It resembled much of what they had already observed and thus it didn't tell Daniel anything more than what he and Teal'c had already been able to deduce about their captors.

Much to the consternation of Daniel, Teal'c decided to indulge in a kel no'reem once they had settle into their room and Yusen had informed them that it may be some time before they were wanted by the council. Daniel was thus with little left to do but reflect on things, something that always drew him back to thoughts of the mission to P3X-327. There he had finally been brought face to face with his own gullibility, his unconscious decision to trust everyone he came across without thought of suspicion. If he'd just had inherited an ounce of Jack's distrust for new people from all their time spent together over the years, the missing man and Sam might have been sitting in this very room with him now.

Even through the lens of time that the past three years bestowed on the archaeologist, Daniel was still unsure what it was that had beguiled him the most and had led to Jack and Sam's downfall. The pretty face that went with the host, or the parasite itself that spoke eloquently of being a new Tok'Ra Queen. Both had seemed like pretty compelling reasons to trust the person he had been talking to as part of SG-1's mission to P3X-327.

As he recalled, SG-12 had encountered amongst the primitive population of '327 a female Goa'uld that had acted more like a Tok'Ra, actually letting the host come to the surface and talk to them. That opening dialogue had eventually led to General O'Neill sending in SG-1 to better 'feel out' the parasite's intentions, with SG-12 on guard duty to prevent any possible duplicitous behaviour on the part of the Goa'uld. After all, despite all that Jacob Carter had done for the SGC as part of the Tok'Ra, Jack O'Neill had still not been able to bring himself to trust what he termed when they weren't around — usually — as 'snakes'.

Daniel had led the negotiation, using his skill in words to try and work through what the Goa'uld was saying to determine what it was truly after. If the parasite wasn't sincere then it wouldn't be the first time that the SGC and the Tok'Ra had been betrayed, but none of them wanted a repeat of the Tannith debacle and that made Daniel's call on the situation of some importance. If he'd signalled that it was a deception then the SGC would have simply withdrawn and let O'Neill drop a bomb on the Goa'uld.

In those early stages Daniel had almost done just that, and now with hindsight he wished he had. At the time though he'd plowed on with the negotiations, looking for lies in the parasite's words of building a new Tok'Ra nation. SG-1 had been shown the small breeding facility that the female Goa'uld had fashioned for herself in secret, claiming to be ever on the lookout for Goa'uld who might learn of her plans and destroy the bright future she envisaged.

The archaeologist ran his hands over his face as he remembered the two parasites swimming in the breeding tank, the two that the female Goa'uld had declared were her first offspring and would help forge the new future she had described, and the same two parasites that Daniel recalled with horror he'd later observed being implanted into Jack and Sam. Further reflections on the mess that the mission to '327 had dissolved into were disturbed by the appearance of Yusen at the doorway.

"The council is ready to see you now."

Frenth

0803 hrs

It had been something of a long walk to what Marika had decided was their intended destination, and the only reason Vala hadn't complained at all during the second half of the walk had been purely because she did not wish to draw attention to herself on an Ori influenced planet. Eventually Marika had brought her to a home closer to the edge of the city and tentatively knocked on the door, eliciting something thumping from within. The door opened to reveal a man of about Marika's age, surprise on his face when he recognised the girl that Vala was with.

"Marika, what brings you here at this time? Your father will find you missing!"

"Hush, Marcouth, I am here with father's blessing."

"Then your father has accepted the idea of myself as his son-in-law?" asked Marcouth in an amazed toe of voice.

Marika gave him a small smile and shook her head. "May we speak inside?"

Marcouth took a closer look at Vala, bundled up in her cloths. "Can I trust her?"

"She is why I am here," Marika said as she took the young man and turned him back into the house, signalling with her head for Vala to follow them in.

Once the three were inside Vala closed the door and shifted the heavy bolt into place to secure it, Marika and Marcouth moving to the table that dominated the room. Vala took the offered third chair and settled herself on it, turning her head enough not to watch as Marika and Marcouth welcomed each other a little more intimately than they had done in the doorway a moment or two earlier.

"Please explain," was Marcouth's request once the three were situated happily.

"Vala here is not from these parts. She had come to Frenth to find you."

"Me?" Marcouth turned an eye on the dark haired woman. "What would bring you to Frenth in search of myself?"

This felt a little awkward for Vala, who had the sudden feeling that perhaps Marika had _no_ idea just what Vala believed and hoped Marcouth was involved in.

"Perhaps this should be discussed more privately?"

The look in Marcouth's eyes hardened.

"You lied!" cried Marika. "After your promise that you were not after him in _that_ way, you want him alone to yourself."

"No, I do not." Vala sounded calmer than she felt, not needing Marika's jealousy to spoil her attempt to reach home in one piece. "I just feel that what I must discuss with Marcouth be kept private."

Marcouth nodded, and suggested that Marika set about making a small meal for the three of them while he and Vala talked at the far end of the room. That way they would have the privacy of conversation, but Marika could also see that Vala wasn't attempting to have her way with Marcouth.

Pulling up stools at the end of the room Marcouth suggested they sit once more, throwing a glance at Marika who simply watched them as Vala sat down. After an intense moment of locked eyes, Marika gave an uncertain nod and turned to begin cooking.

"I must apologies for Marika," began Marcouth. "We have only been a couple for three months and she is still a little clinging when I am around other women."

"So I see," agreed Vala drily. "Though I have guessed she had no inkling of the nature of what I wish to talk about."

"That is true. Marika is not involved in my other activities, and since I am involved in several I must ask which one it is that you want me for."

Vala could see that Marcouth had turned the conversation back on herself, forcing her to be the first to mention the railroad. "I have need of transport back to the Tau'ri galaxy and understood that the means of such travel was here on Frenth."

"Your source, whoever the loose tongued idiot was, is correct. There is a means of travelling to the Tau'ri galaxy from here. It is not foolproof, nor is it completely safe. Nor is everyone pleased with those they meet on the other end of the journey."

"Yeah, yeah," huffed Vala, wanting to skip the showman's spiel. "Danger, bad guys. I get it. I've lived that all before and the longer I remain on Frenth the more likely it is that I experience it all again. At least if I undergo this journey I'm risking all that on my own terms."

Marcouth gave a sharp bark of a laugh at Vala's summary of her predicament, which caused Marika to watch the pair closely for a minute or two, her eyes narrowed in the pale light of the growing dawn that crept through the windows.

"Well, you certainly sound brave enough, or perhaps foolish enough to undertake the journey. The earliest I can have you shipped back to the Tau'ri galaxy in the evening. Is that acceptable to you?"

"More than you can possibly know," said Vala, glad that an exit was finally making itself know to her.

"May I ask why you wish to travel to such heathen lands?"

Vala fixed Marcouth with a narrow stare, trying to decipher just what he meant by such a question. "It is merely to do with feeling at home," Vala eventually answered, choosing her words carefully.

"Home?"

"I am from the Tau'ri galaxy originally," admitted Vala, holding her chin up.

"Then that makes you quite some way from home. What brought you to Frenth?"

"I though we have already established that," hissed Vala as Marika began setting a simple table for breakfast.

"Hmm?" was Marcouth's distracted reply, most of his concentration on watching Marika.

"I came to Frenth to see you."

"Ah! So originally you were deeper in the Ori lands. That makes you quite lost. Are you hoping that you still have someone at home waiting for you?"

Vala thought of the exasperated expression on Daniel's face and nodded slowly.

"So, tonight. Marika can bring you to me again."

"Do you want anything as payment?" Vala's experience with such matters as smuggling told her that people always expected payment in some form or other. Is just a matter of finding out what you had to offer that they wanted.

"There is no need. My contacts in your galaxy supply me with a sum for every person sent to them."

Vala frowned. "And just who are these contacts? You intimated before that not everyone who uses your service is happy to meet them."

"That, I'm afraid, I can not divulge. You'll just have to hope for the best when you get there that they can get you home to whoever it is that you believe is waiting for you."

SGC

0914 hrs

Between the pair of them, Mitchell and Williams had established where Vala had last been seen by a SG team. That had been P5X-944, a planet far out on one of the spiral arms of the galaxy. Effectively it was as close to the Ori galaxy as one could get without actually making the trip through the dead wastes of space to get there. Quite what Vala had been on '944 for in the first place was still something of a mystery to the SGC.

Vala had proven herself an ally to the SGC in the cause of preventing the Ori from overtaking the galaxy, even when she'd become the mother of the Ori figurehead Adria. For Mitchell it was just her way of_expressing_ her commitment to the cause of fighting the Ori that had put her offside with him. Every time she had worked with SG-2 she had tended to ride roughshod over his orders and do things her way. That said, she _never_ did anything without a reason and usually that _reason_ involved monetary compensation of some kind.

Whatever it was that had lured her to '944 would have involved currency of some kind. Mitchell and Williams had figured that the planet was a good place to start if they wanted to find the missing thief and had tag-teamed Landry in his office, trying to present a mission to the planet as a good opportunity for not only finding Vala, but also to getting attempts to find Daniel and Teal'c back on track. The pair had appealed to the idea of the SGC being vulnerable without the remaining two members of SG-1 at home where they were needed.

It was not the solid intelligence that Landry had originally asked for before authorising a mission, yet either Landry had accepted their argument for needing to find Vala in order to track down Daniel and Teal'c, or he had simply wanted the two officers out of his hair and granting their request had been the most expedient method of doing so. Either way the General had approved a mission by SG-2 to '944 in search of Vala Mal Doran. Convincing his team to undertake the mission had been a battle of epic proportions, Potter, Dodgeson, and Evans all digging their heels in.

"Sir, we've had a couple of great months without the woman hanging around like a bad smell. Can't we let this carry on for a while longer?" whined Major Emma Potter.

"No whining on my team, Major," huffed Cameron, before turning to eye the rest of his team.

"We're in, Sir. Can't say that we're doing it for Vala, but if it helps bring Doctor Jackson and Teal'c back to the SGC then we're for it."

Cameron nodded to Dodgeson's explanation. "Colonel Falstaff has opted to remain on his standard leave rather than get involved with, and I quote, 'finding a couple of missing babies'. SG-1 member Major Williams here on the other hand," Mitchell waved a hand at his colleague, "is keen to help us find Vala and his missing team-mates."

"Welcome to SG-2, Sir," grinned Lt. Michael Evans.

"Delighted to be here," replied Williams with a shark-like grin of his own. The Major had to wonder just how long it would be before the first prank was played, and who out of the three of them would dare to prank Mitchell — again.

After a quick half-hour briefing to let the rest of SG-2 know the basic game plan: gate to '944, find Vala use her to find Daniel (and Teal'c). By ten to ten in the morning SG-2 and Williams were all lined up at the bottom of the ramp that led to the stargate.

"We're ready when you are, Sir," said Cameron looking back over his shoulder to where General Landry watched from the control room.

"God speed, people. Bring 'em all back if you can."

"Will do, Sir."

Landry nodded to Harriman and the Chief Master Sergeant set the gate in motion. Hank took a long look at the waiting team and sighed. He'd given them the go ahead for to reasons. The battle with the Ori was reaching critical mass and they needed Dr. Jackson's expertise to help them navigate their way to finding Merlin's hidden weapon. Without Daniel they were effectively hunting in the dark. The SGC also needed Vala back, despite how much trouble she was likely to cause by being here, simply because she was Adria's mother and might have some small measure of sway over her offspring. Right now the SGC was clutching at straws and would take what it could get.

The wormhole exploded into existence with the usual rush of energy before settling back into the familiar wall of light. Giving them the 'go', Landry watched as SG-2 and Major Williams stepped through the event horizon.

P5X-944

0956 hrs

"So, this is where we are hoping to find Vala." Cameron wasn't hugely impressed with what he was now seeing on the other side of the wormhole.

'944 was green, and not a shade of green that the Lt. Colonel hadn't seen before. The stargate sat in a small glade within a forest, tall evergreen trees spreading out into the distance in every direction so that eventually all one could see was a dense darkness for three hundred and sixty degrees.

"Give a whole new meaning to finding a Vala in a tree stack," grumbled Major Potter as she stepped away from the area immediately around the gate and made a circuit of the perimeter.

"Unless Vala has taken up an interstellar job as a lumber salesman, I'm drawing a blank on just why she'd come here," Mitchell added as he joined his team and Williams a short distance from the gate.

"I do agree that at first glance, the place does seem an unusual choice for Vala," said Christopher. "But then I'm guessing there had to be something pretty impressive here for her to be bothered with such a planet."

"Any idea where these trees end, or have we finally found a planet with nothing _but_ trees?" was Evans' contribution to the conversation.

"At least General O'Neill is not here to 'appreciate' it," added Potter as she returned from her circuit of the glade. "I'm sure that one look at this place and he'd back through the gate faster than you can stick your foot in your mouth, Sir."

"What a humorous image, Major. How about giving me a report instead of practising your stand up routine?"

"Sir," replied Emma to Cameron's grouchy CO image. "So far we have a big zeros on anything but trees. It's day, but I can't give you a fix on roughly what time of day it is."

"It's day?" queried Dodgeson. "Give how dark it is here ..."

"That's just a by-product of having these trees so densely packed together."

"So what can you tell us?" asked Williams.

"That I have no idea in which direction we should head. There are no paths leading away from the gate that I can see."

"Actually, we could be missing a trick here," began Cameron as he surveyed the clearing. "We're SGC. We've seen aliens and sort of weird stuff!"

"Is he telling us to think outside the box?" queried Evans.

"Could be. Either than or the Colonel has finally lost it. Where does that put me on the betting table?" rejoined Dodgeson.

"Yeah, you two are a regular Laurel and Hardy!" Cameron sized up his team who were watching him expectantly. "Look, what Vala came here for and what we are now looking for could easily be right here under our noses?"

"Like an invisible spacecraft?" suggested Emma.

"Like an invisible spacecraft, or an underground installation. Something of that kind. So, fan out and see what you can find."

With that the group of five split and began combing the area looking for clues that they may have initially overlooked in their expectations of something more mundane like a town or a path through the trees. Cameron paused for a moment to watch what each of the others were doing and tried to guess at what angle each was approaching the task of uncovering something hidden. Major Potter had stuck with her initial assessment of an invisible spacecraft and was waving her weapon through the airy space in front of her to see if it hit something solid. Dodgeson and Evans were methodically scouring the ground for the possibility of a set of hidden rings. Williams was checking round the back of the platform upon which sat the stargate, pressing against the stone in search of a concealed mechanism perhaps.

Despite all that effort, it was Mitchell that found the 'something hidden' fifteen minutes later. It turned out to be, after Major Potter had time to poke and prod in her usual manner, a fairly sophisticated variation on hiding in plain site. Which explained why Cameron had found it by simply walking into it and falling backwards onto his arse, leaving him to rub his bruised nose and shrug off the laughter of the others in order to salvage his wounded pride. Once he was in a more amicable mood Emma had endeavoured to explain just what Mitchell had found to the group. It was a simple, narrow door to a tall, narrow cylinder-like structure. It had been suitably prepared to resemble the trees that surrounded it and place at just the right angle and just the right step back from the edge of the glade, that from every point it could be observed it simply blended in with the rest of the forest.

If you didn't know it was there you were unlikely to spot it all. Which, for Major Potter, begged the question of just why Mitchell had walked into it in the first place since it looked a lot like a tree. Mitchell had shrugged off the question to start with, till after some pestering from Emma on just why it had happened led to him curtly telling her that he'd been distracted by a need to relieve the pressure on his bladder. _That_ had brought the Major up short and she'd shut up as Williams and Dodgeson opened the door Mitchell had found.

The door revealed a small cubic with no visible features, which was something of a disappointment to the team who been expecting something a little more interesting than a black, unlit, cramped room. There were no markings that they had overlooked and nothing on the inside of the door either. There was something they were missing and it was proving to be frustratingly elusive. Evans had suggested an invisible control in the cubicle, but no amount of scrabbling at the bare walls resulted in anything.

"Do you think Vala went through all this?" asked Williams when the team had paused for a break to think and regroup.

"God I hope so," moaned Cameron, "otherwise I have the horrible feeling that she's watching us right now and laughing her arse off at our lack of progress."

Tashur

1015 hrs

Daniel surveyed the assembled council with a mixture of apprehension and unbridled interest. There were twelve of them, including Ka'ne and Ha'la, seated at a half circle table, at the open mouth of which Daniel and Teal'c had been placed to stand. The council had apparently been at the debate for some time before the two SG-1 members had been required The room in which the meeting was taking place was just as austere as much of Ka'ne and Ha'la's ship that the SGC pair had already seen, and the robes worn by the council members reflected this ethic too.

The make up of the council was curious, Daniel having observed a Goa'uld council before. Then the Goa'uld sat apart, each member of that meeting a discrete power unto themselves. They would work together, as they had during the course of that meeting about Anubis, but only if it was in their best interests to do so. Here the twelve members arranged around the table were grouped in pairs, each a male/female pairing as well. This was something that peaked Daniel's interest, since for the Goa'uld the gender of their host usually wasn't an issue. Osiris was a good example of that, as was Sel'mak of the Tok'Ra.

Essentially they seemed to operate on the principle that one could partake of physical pleasure regardless of gender and they were not interested in creating offspring through their hosts. Only Apophis had tried that, breaking numerous long held Goa'uld taboos in the process. And yet here the two men were faced with six groups that looked for all the world like couples. Daniel had to wonder how this structure had come about since it seemed to run counter to how both the Goa'uld and the Tok'Ra behaved.

So, questions buzzing in his head, Daniel and Teal'c stood before the oft mentioned council in wait, the younger man also rocking gently on his heels. As he had already noted, the clothing worn by the council had little in common with that of their Goa'uld brethren that he had observed before — sometime more closely than he had wanted to. The vanity of those Goa'uld had always been plain to see, even when one of Ba'al's clones had taken to hiding on Earth. Ba'al had_always_ opted for designer clothing.

The robes worn today were of a fine quality, as far as Daniel was able to discern without having a tailor's eye or fondling the material directly — not a smart move, he thought. Yet despite the quality of the cut, the robes were fashioned in an almost utilitarian style of calm whites, bland beiges, and soft browns that looked like it had been stolen directly from the Tok'Ra. The men had a simple tunic, a vest-like coat, and trousers; the women an ankle-length, one peice, shoulderless dress, covered by a short coat that covered the shoulders and came down to just under the bust. It vaguely reminded Daniel of some BBC period dramas set in the Regency period that he recalled watching just prior to going through the stargate that first time.

At last one of the women stood, from a pair to the left of Teal'c and Daniel, and addressed the council. **We have before us a potential threat to all that has been planned and created. Something that could foster our end, yet Ka'ne and Ha'la would have us consider that it marks an opportunity.**

She look a long look at the two men. **Here stand Doctor Daniel Jackson and Teal'c, former First Prime to Apophis.**

Daniel wasn't quite sure what to make of that decided pronouncement other than that it didn't bode well for his continued breathing and moving for the foreseeable future. The rest of the council, Ka'ne and Ha'la included, hadn't batted an eyelid at this opening statement and that caused the archaeologist to look closer at what had been said.

The council was aware that, till now, the SGC had been completely in the dark as to the existence of this Goa'uld council and the armies that it could wield. In other words, if he and Teal'c leaked word of what they now knew to the SGC, then the council's plans, whatever they were, could easily come to naught. For a traditional Goa'uld that would leave two options. One: hold onto them till they died of natural causes; or the far more likely option two: immediate execution. Yet Ka'ne and Ha'la had obviously petitioned for a third option. Daniel was keen to know what this third way was as options one and two weren't particularly appealing.

The final point to consider in that opening statement was that both he and Teal'c were well known. The two SG-1 members were already aware of this from the behaviour of Yusen and her Jaf'fa as well as that of Ka'ne and Ha'la. While many in the galaxy had come to know of the identities of the members of SG-1, never before had it seemingly carried the weight that it did today. Especially since it might affect the petition of Ka'ne and Ha'la for another option.

With that brief moment of silence gone, Teal'c inclined his head only slightly. That meant he was grudgingly extending some courtesy on the basis of what he'd observed of Yusen and her Jaf'fa. To an untrained observer it probably looked like Teal'c hadn't moved at all, or at least had been buffeted mildly by a zephyr of a breeze. Daniel had caught it and figured that at least one or two members of the council had done the same, judging by the expressions on their faces. Yusen's description of how the Jaf'fa were treated had obviously had some impact on Teal'c demeanour.

"Hi," Daniel finally managed after processing the opening statements.

Ha'la stood and gave Daniel and Teal'c the briefest of nods before sweeping her eyes over the assembled council. **Three years ago this council was founded, to help forge an army that would serve our needs and help complete our objectives. For those three years we have operated in the quiet spaces of the galaxy, at the most nothing more that a fleeting whisper in the ears of the Tok'Ra, a shadow in the corner of the eye for the Goa'uld.**

**Ka'ne and I believe that the capture of these two before us indicates that the time table should make allowances for such an unprecedented opportunity. Also, that should we dispose of them we could be making a mistake of epic proportions. Would the Lord and Lady be happy with such a decision?**

A male member of the council on the opposite side of the table barked out, **You argue that with the knowledge they already possess that they should be allowed to live?**

**We do**, nodded Ka'ne from his seat.

**They are Daniel Jackson and Teal'c. We should not presume to ignore the importance of such a thing.**

Ha'la was staring down the other council member.

**We vote**, said the woman who had opened the meeting.

The council stood and filed out of the room leaving Daniel and Teal'c watched over by Yusen's Jaf'fa.

"They vote on our continued existence," observed Teal'c.

Daniel nodded. "Some, like Ka'ne and Ha'la, seem to place some value on our lives. The rest ..."

"Indeed." Teal'c surveyed the room before returning his gaze to Daniel. "I believe that we will survive this council."

"Really?" Daniel fiddled with his glasses and had a slightly relieved grin on his face. "What makes you say that? After all, the debate was hardly long or intense."

"We are obviously considered by some to be of importance to the mentioned, yet not present, Lord and Lady."

"Ah!" exclaimed Daniel. "You think such a reference intimates some sort of hierarchy that this council is subordinate to."

"That is what I believe."

Letting his gaze rest on the empty seats at the table Daniel tapped a finger to his lips in thought.

"So our bacon may yet be saved."

Teal'c nodded, believing that he understood the thrust of the younger man's statement, but also pondering just what pigs had to do with the situation.

"Still, I don't like the idea that everything hangs on two new people that we have not seen. It was bad enough having to hang around with nothing to do while picturing some Goa'uld council debating our continued existence. At least then we knew that Ka'ne and Ha'la weren't about to have us executed."

"Indeed. Still, the presence of a power above the council does ease some of my concerns over what we have already seen."

"That in having a hierarchy it makes this new group much more like the traditional Goa'uld that we have encountered."

Teal'c smiled slightly. "We have seen many minor Goa'uld in the service of a more powerful one."

"True. But not a council of twelve, Teal'c. I must admit I am surprised at how well they seem to be dealing with each other. Reminds me of the Tok'Ra more than that Goa'uld meeting I once attended."

"You are making assumptions, DanielJackson, purely on what you have observed. The council may be behaving in a far different manner when outside our purview."

At that moment the assembly of Goa'uld returned to the room, each standing behind the seat they had taken earlier, before sitting down in unison to survey the waiting SG-1 team members.

**A decision has been made**, said the female Goa'uld who had seemingly led proceedings earlier.

Frenth

2346 hrs

Vala had returned with Marika to her father's house where Vala had grudgingly helped the younger woman with her household duties. The former thief had lived through such tasks, ones that she deemed menial, for far longer that she would ever have wished to during the time she had been originally stuck in the Ori galaxy after destroying the supergate two years ago. The only upside of all the physical labour was that time passed swiftly and by the time all their effort had been expended on preparing the evening meal, it was time for the family and Vala to sit down to eat.

Dinner out of the way and the clearing up done, Marika and Vala then made the trip to Marcouth's residence. Along the way Vala had put some thought into the mysterious figure that was Marcouth. Despite the conversation she'd had with him that had resulted in his agreeing to have her smuggled out of Ori controlled space, the man had proven wily enough that the rest of the conversation had resulted in _her_ talking more about herself than Marcouth informing her about himself.

Vala was never usually that forthcoming about her past history, as the SGC had discovered on occasion, and had been disturbed at just how much she had told the people smuggler. She had to wonder just where he had come from and how he had come to be a part of the underground railroad. Turning the corner at the end of the street Vala simply shrugged her shoulders and filed away the questions for later consideration, such as when she was safely away from Ori space. The man was obviously a canny operator and wasn't going to spill any secrets around her. She did have to wonder how Marika dealt with the secrecy.

As the midnight hour drew closer the two women arrived at their destination with no issues or troubles and were quickly ushered into the house by a wary Marcouth.

"Expecting trouble?" Vala had asked once she had unwrapped herself and taken a seat at the table, and had allowed the couple a moment of privacy to indulge in a kiss as greeting.

Marcouth frowned. "Always."

Vala had to grin at that ethic.

"Are we safe, Marcouth?" Marika asked.

"For now. The means of smuggling the people out of here is a teleportation device which is currently powering up. Each time it is used there is always the associated risk that the Ori will pick up on the power transmissions and track down the device."

"Oh," was all that Marika could manage.

Marcouth led the two women to the basement of the house and into the room that housed the device. Vala had taken one look at the device and blinked, a slight shudder running through her at what had been revealed to her by Marcouth. The device was a short pedestal that cam up to her hips, upon which sat a large sphere that reminded the thief of the Goa'uld communication spheres. Vala had winced at seeing it as it reminded her of just how she'd come to be in the Ori galaxy in the first place. She had been on a treasure hunt and it had taken her to P5X-944 where, after much trial and error, she had discovered a similar device.

Overcome with curiosity, and not a little greed she had to admit to herself, she had touched the orb and found herself suddenly transported to a new location. The arrival of a wrathful Ori Prior shortly after that while she had been exploring the area had forced her to flee the locale without being able to try and use the device to send herself home. That little _adventure_ was what had brought her to Frenth in the first place.

"You recognise it?" queried Marcouth.

"One of these blasted things is responsible for bringing me to this galaxy in the first place," replied Vala.

"Ah!" Marcouth was nodding in understanding. "You were on Shallor before the Prior overtook our base of operations there."

"Before? Before!" exclaimed Vala. "I beamed in there mere minutes before a Prior came bursting in the door."

"That explains why you didn't use it to return home then."

"From that I take it that Frenth isn't the only way out of this galaxy?"

"Wasn't," corrected Marcouth. "Yes, my superiors had arranged both Frenth and Shallor as means of smuggling people out of the galaxy without the Priors knowing."

"And the Shallor base was discovered."

"Yes. We were betrayed. Luckily Frenth was not given up as well."

With a sign, Vala finally commented, "Well, having experienced one of these before I at least know that this isn't a con." Vala clapped her hands. "Okay, am I set to leave then?"

Marcouth waved a hand at the device. "Just touch it and you are on your way."

"Thank you," Vala said with a smile as she stepped up to the pedestal. "Well, here we go."

Placing her hands on the sphere Vala felt the tugging sensation as she was transported across galaxies, her blurred and darkened vision resolving quickly into her destination. This was quickly discovered to be a large chamber with an identical device at the centre at which she stood.

"Welcome," said a voice behind her, and Vala turned to see her welcoming party.


	4. Ever Decreasing Circles

**FOUR: Ever Decreasing Circles**

Tashur

April 13th, 2008

1103 hrs

"It is the decision of this council that the time is not ripe for the revelation of our existence to be made to the universe at large. As a result of that conclusion it is our decision that Doctor Jackson and Teal'c of Chulak should be executed to preserve our current situation."

Daniel stared incredulously at the older woman who had operated as the spokeswoman for the whole of the assembled council, although Daniel figured this decision was probably more down to the fact that the council weren't pushing the timetable forward as opposed to any concern over the continuation of Teal'c and Daniel's own lives. It was a very Tok'Ra position to look at the big picture instead of the little people.

The archaeologist chided himself for mentally boxing the group in as Tok'Ra when he and Teal'c had yet to uncover anything to link them conclusively to the rebel organisation. They could still be Goa'uld, even if the power structure differed from the norm. 'Ah well,' Daniel shrugged to himself since it seemed like he was not going to be living for much longer and thus wouldn't be getting answers to all the questions burning inside him.

**Objection**, protested Ka'ne. This caused a ripple of murmuring throughout the seated council. **These two are known to the Lord and Lady. Would you summarily execute the pair before our leaders are apprised of the situation? What would you have us do if we executed them and the Lord and Lady wished otherwise?**

The woman speaking for the council glowered at Ka'ne. **The decision of the council is final. They shall be executed at a time of our choosing.**

Teal'c simply stood silently through it all, his mind furiously calculating all the angles from what little knowledge he and DanielJackson had gleaned so far. It was clear that the council was somewhat divided, but as Ka'ne kept silent following that last proclamation it seemed that it was a minor division that would not alter the course of the council. They were still to be executed. Keen to stay alive for at least a little longer the Jaf'fa pondered potential escape plans.

Twitching a little at the probable possibility of execution, Daniel cleared his throat. SG-1 had been in similar situations before, even in their first year, and talking had usually helped or, at least, not made things worse. "May I address the council?"

This lead the young man to find himself on the end of every eyeball in the chamber, including Teal'c's. The spokeswoman paused to consider this for a moment or two before nodding and taking her seat. Her partner leant over to talk to her softly, but she held up her hand to forestall him.

"Ah, er ... sorry, I'm not sure how to address you all?" was Daniel's attempt at the beginnings of an eloquent speech. Some on the council at least appeared to be amused by this. It was better than them calling for his _immediate_ death.

"We are simply the council," the spokeswoman assured him.

"Right, the council." Daniel tilted his head in Teal'c's direction and added under his breath to the Jaf'fa, "That doesn't tell us much of anything."

Playing with his glasses he turned back to the waiting assembly of parasites or symbiotes. Not knowing which his audience was made of made Daniel unsure of how exactly to pitch his impassioned speech about letting he and Teal'c live — at least for a little longer than their currently allotted time. "Council," he started, "it is obvious to myself that your drive to remain unknown to the other powers of this galaxy has proven fruitful. Until Teal'c and I stowed away aboard Ka'ne and Ha'la's ha'tak the SGC remained ignorant of your existence. If we give our word not to divulge what we have learnt would that alter your decision to execute us?"

"And would your word to keep our secrets prevail should you learn more of us and decide that we pose a threat to the SGC and the Earth?" was the spokeswomans partner's question from where he sat.

That prompted Teal'c to speak. "Does this mean that you _are_ a threat?"

"Spoken like a true Jaf'fa warrior," smirked Ka'ne as Ha'la rested her hand on his forearm and he continued in a less mocking tone, "In the end it is a matter of perspective. We have aims to alter the balance of power in this galaxy, but how that is achieved and what the end result may look like may not be to the liking of the SGC."

**You give too freely, Ka'ne**, the spokeswoman reprimanded.

"My question still stands," prodded Daniel.

"As does ours," riposted the spokeswoman's partner.

Yusen stamped her way into the chamber and approached Ha'la, taking the woman's ear to whisper something to her as the council and Daniel remained in their impasse. With Yusen standing behind her Ha'la drew herself to stand. "If I might interject?"

At a nod from the spokeswoman's partner Ha'la pressed on. "Council, it appears that the decision of the council has become a moot point."

**Explain**.

Ha'la gave the spokeswoman a winsome smile. "Our Lord and Lady are currently on their way here."

P5X-944

1116 hrs

In the end the mystery of the strange, illusioned room was resolved by the limited attention span of some two of the members of SG-2. After a further half hour of unproductive head scratching and brain bending in an attempt to work out why Vala would have journeyed to this place, Mitchell had taken Williams and gone for another survey of the perimeter in the vain hope of discovering something that had been missed earlier. The leader of SG-2 had thus returned to the clearing after such a survey with Major Williams to find Dodgeson and Evans involved in a bit of rough and tumble horseplay. The pair arrived in time to see Dodgeson manhandle Evans into the empty room and shut the door as he caught his breath.

"Sir," he acknowledged ruefully when he spotted Mitchell and Williams.

"Really, Dodgeson, I leave you and Evans alone for about five minutes and I come back to this." Mitchell wasn't truly upset since he had half expected something like this to occur due to the lack of enemy action. Dodgeson and Evans didn't do too well with nothing to do.

Christopher simply raised an eyebrow at the antics of Mitchell's team and shared an amused glance with Major Potter who had watched the whole thing unfold.

"About time to let him out I think," mused Potter, "that way you can have a go at him too, Sir."

Mitchell nodded and Dodgeson pushed himself away from the door to allow Evans to exit the cubicle. Only to find that after a moment or two that Evans hadn't left the room as expected. Cameron reached over and wrenched the door open to reveal to the rest of the waiting team an empty room.

"Shit," was Dodgeson's succinct summation of the situation.

Mitchell poked his head inside the black box, hands braced on the edges of the entrance, as if a second look would reveal a previously undiscovered corner in which Evans would be. "Where the hell did Evans go?"

Turning on the still surprised Dodgeson Mitchell asked what the pair had been playing with that might have caused Evans to vanish.

"Nothing, Sir. I just pushed him in and shut the door."

"The door!" exclaimed Potter in excitement.

"The door?" was Cameron's amused question.

"Yes." Emma gathered herself together in order to explain, suppressing the need to bounce about the clearing like a hyperactive bunny on caffeine as she was wont to do when excited. "What if this thing is like a microwave?"

"A microwave?" Dodgeson was scratching his head in bemusement. Williams meanwhile had a sudden horrible vision of Evans being cooked alive from the inside.

"Get to the point, Major," was Mitchell's practical response.

"Sir. Microwaves are designed so that people can't hurt themselves while using them. To that end they _can't_ work _unless_ the door is shut."

Mitchell pointed to the opened door of the small, black room. "So it what — transported — Evans somewhere?"

"At a guess, Sir," agreed Potter.

Unhitching his weapon that he'd secured upon returning from his survey with Williams, Mitchell cautiously entered the cubicle, Major Williams moving to join him. "Potter and Dodgeson can hold position here," he explained to Cameron.

"Close the door," ordered Mitchell and Williams readied his own weapon.

With a nod Major Potter complied with her orders and pushed the door shut from the outside, wondering as she did so if this would be the last time she'd see either Williams or Mitchell again.

Nakil

2356 hrs

"Hello," purred Vala once her initial surprise had worn off. She figured it was best to start on a pleasant note and become bitchy later if she had to. After all it would be easier to go from nice to nasty than the other way around as people were less likely to believe the nice act after witnessing the less pleasant one.

"Greetings," said the first figure as he stepped out of the shadows to allow Vala to see him, son followed by the others at his back. The itinerant traveller took an involuntary step back as she found herself face to face with a small team of Jaf'fa. The leader grinned at her, "Not what you were expecting?"

Vala could manage only a shake of her head as she pressed back against the device behind her.

"It amuses us no end that people are surprised, especially since Marcouth always makes sure to explain to people like yourself that they _will_ be surprised by us on arrival."

"And your god that I've been betrayed to by Marcouth is—" Vala came to an abrupt halt as she realised that no two Jaf'fa in the room bore the same mark upon their forehead. One even did not wear a sigil at all.

The baritone laugh of the Jaf'fa leader faded and the man favoured Vala with an amused smile. "We seem to have that effect on all our visitors. May I introduce myself?"

The Jaf'fa got a nod for his efforts from the now very confused Vala.

"I am Mal'tec of Vulkur, and I welcome you to the planet of Gra'she'gar. We are currently within the city of Nakil."

"Gra'she'gar? I know that planet, but where from?"

"It was once a stronghold of Qetesh till she was thrown from power. In retaliation she had the planet bombarded from orbit till no sign of life survived."

Vala winced in remembrance of that time, being as she was the host of that damned parasite at the time. "So," she tried in a fake jolly tone, "I guess there is not much to see of it these days." She really didn't need these people realising she was once Qetesh's host. That would probably lead to unpleasant circumstances for her.

"If you would come with me," said Mal'tec, "we can talk on the way."

"On the way where?"

Mal'tec gave the woman a curious look. "Did you not brave the displeasure of the Ori to travel here? We are going to show you where you can begin your new life free of their influence."

"Oh." For a moment Vala was thrown by this response. "Oh! I see now. We're operating at cross purposes. I've still been thinking of you as traditional Jaf'fa who are leading me somewhere to torture and kill me."

"That is not our intention," bit out Mal'tec.

"So I understand. But then I'm not here to start a new life free of the Ori. Granted, that plan sounds grand, bu tI have other things I need to be doing."

"Such as?" Mal'tec was amused by the woman who had arrived in their midst. She was certainly unlike any other refugee that had escaped the Ori before.

"There's a few things I learnt while I was trapped in Ori space. Things that some friends of mine need to know. Will I be allowed to leave this place, or will I be fighting my way out of here?"

The assembled Jaf'fa broke out laughing at this, except Mal'tec who was giving Vala an appraising look. "You would not laugh like that were Yusen in the room," he barked at his men who had the good grace to look sheepish.

Vala raised her chin defiantly. "Well?"

"Come with me." At Vala's hesitation to move away from the device he added, "No harm will come to you."

Left with little real choice Vala opted to agree to the suggestion and indicated that Mal'tec should lead the way. The Jaf'fa leader took her through an impressive complex manned by a mix of Jaf'fa and humans, all happily interacting peacefully, something that was a far cry from the attempts at unity that Daniel had told her the SGC had tried to broker in the past.

"Is this little staged tour done solely for my benefit or do you brainwash all arrivals with this?"

"I must admit that while what you are observing of our situation on Gra'she'gar is not staged, my feet have led us in the way we traditionally walk with newcomers. So in effect you are getting the welcome we normally give."

"And most sign up after seeing this?" queried Vala.

"All so far," admitted Mal'tec with a sideways glance as they walked on.

"A World free of the Ori must be very tempting for people arriving here," said Vala, "although trading that for one controlled by the Goa'uld isn't really a step up."

"Gra'she'gar is not controlled by the Goa'uld," Mal'tec corrected a little coldly.

That caused Vala to come to a halt. "You are free Jaf'fa?"

"In a sense. We are not aligned to those who were based at Dakara however."

"Curious," conceded Vala as the group began walking again, moving towards what appeared to be the centre of the complex. Eventually the group led Vala to a room that reminded Vala somewhat of the briefing room at the SGC and here she was offered a seat.

"So," she began, looking about as her eyes took in every detail. "You're not playing for the Goa'uld, thus I'm not a prisoner, and I've got things to do and places to be."

"An accurate summation," agreed Mal'tec as he sat at the head of the table, various other Jaf'fa and humans wandering in to take seats of their own.

"Can you tell us in more detail what your mission was if you are not someone simply escaping the Ori?" asked one of the seated Jaf'fa.

The thief took a moment to assess the seated Jaf'fa and humans for signs of their loyalties or motivations before deciding to trust them with limited information in the hopes of gaining her freedom. After all, trusting Marcouth had got her out of Ori space, but only to land her here in an unknown situation. "Initially I hadn't planned to be in Ori controlled space at all. I was actually following up a lead on a stash of Goa'uld artefacts and some stupid device transported me elsewhere."

"Shallor, before it fell," guessed Mal'tec.

"That was what Marcouth guessed as well," responded Vala, feeling that she wasn't giving up anything important yet. If she could get them talking she might learn a little more about this band of rebel Jaf'fa and humans. Something to bargain with Landry over.

"So you are a thief hoping to recover something of value and instead you fell victim to one of our devices."

"Your devices?" It was this lot who were ultimately responsible for her predicament in the first place!

Mal'tec frowned and asked, "You would have had to use the device on P5X-944 to reach Shallor. how is it you knew of the facility there? That was only known to a handful of individuals who served Qetesh!"

"Ah." When in a situation like this Vala considered offence the best defence. "How do _you_ know of it?"

"One of our number served Qetesh some time ago and revealed the locations existence upon joining our ranks," explained a human seated further down the table.

Vala began to almost panic at this news and her eyes swept the table populated by human and Jaf'fa looking for a face that was familiar. A hand clamped down strongly on her wrist and her gaze snapped back to Mal'tec who was watching her closely. "Such panic? Curious. I also note that you have not given us your name yet. What is it?"

"Ummm ... Carter, Samantha Carter."

Mal'tec growled in annoyance. "You are not her." His grip tightened as he spoke, "What is your name?"

Vala considered trying another false name, but flagged the option a losing one. "Vala, Vala Mal Doran," she choked out in worry at the turn of the conversation at the table had taken.

"I know that name," croaked another human at the table. He turned to the others as they fixed their eyes on him. "This woman was once Qetesh's host."

"Are you sure?" asked a Jaf'fa to Mal'tec's left.

"I am. Kro'nor talked my ear off at how she once played him by pretending to still be Qetesh."

Vala gave the assembled a weak, watery smile. "I am a thief and a con artist by trade," she said in her defence.

Mal'tec used his free hand to push Vala face down into the hard table top before using that hand to begin pushing and pinching at her neck. Vala protested her rough treatment and tried to lash out only to have her hands pinned behind her back by other Jaf'fa. Eventually Mal'tec was satisfied, released her, and sat back in his seat, the Jaf'fa restraining Vala letting go as well.

"What the bloody hell was that about?"

"We've had a couple of Goa'uld, Ba'al especially, attempt to infiltrate our concerns either themselves or via one of their parasitic underlings. That you were once a host meant we had to check."

It was Vala's turn to growl in annoyance.

"With these pleasantries out of the way," continued Mal'tec, "we can now rest easy in the knowledge that your awareness of the facility on P5X-944 was not down to a spy or a leak within our structure."

"Great. Wonderful," said Vala through gritted teeth.

"Still, that brings us to what you learnt while in Ori space and who you wish to pass that information on to."

"Indeed," said a Jaf'fa much in the manner of Teal'c, "Are you planning on selling this information, thief?"

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"A very curious thief then if you do not expect to be paid for your efforts. To whom would you pass this information then that you would forego payment?"

Vala would later swear, usually during drinking sessions, that all those at the table sat forward in eager anticipation. "It seems you at least know of Samantha Carter to be able to foil my ruse."

Mal'tec nodded, ignoring for now the small detail that _many_ in the galaxy knew of Samantha Carter and as such Vala's ruse had been _very _flimsy in construction. "But you do not claim to be passing that information onto her, surely? Then someone else at the SGC?"

"I plan on passing what I learnt to Daniel Jackson or Teal'c if Daniel wasn't available." Was that too much information? Vala fretted. Could she have parcelled it out better in order to gain her freedom from Gra'she'gar?

A new, hearty laugh arose from Mal'tec. "Then, Vala Mal Doran, it seems that you shall be in our company for some time longer."

Others at the table were beginning to laugh as well as if they had suddenly understood the punch line to a joke. Vala's brows narrowed in confusion and anger. "What is so funny?"

"My colleague Yusen has been escorting Doctor Jackson and Teal'c of Chulak to a meeting of the council at Tashur," Mal'tec offered by way of explanation once he'd stopped laughing.

P5X-944

1203 hrs

The inky blackness of the cabinet interior after the door closed with a click was quickly resolved into a lighter, much larger space. Mitchell and Williams found themselves to one side of a circular chamber, the walls of which were covered in various screens and the twinkling lights of controls that dotted the gaps in between. The low light levels made the room seem like a glow worm grotto, but it was enough to see by and make out the form of Evans who was at the console in the centre of the room busy pushing buttons using a hunt-and-peck method of typing.

"Evans," ventured Mitchell.

The lieutenant looked up and sighed in relief before snapping to attention, "Sir!"

"At ease, Evans. Now, what can you tell Williams and myself about this place?"

Evans filled the two in on the little he had discovered since accidentally finding himself in the chamber. He gestured to the device in the centre of the room, "This isn't of Goa'uld design like the rest of the room and the empty chambers beyond. But I've no idea what it is."

Cameron took a closer look at the object of discussion and realised with a start that it was almost identical to the device that had transported Daniel and Vala into the Ori galaxy and precipitated the invasion that the SGC currently faced. He signalled the two other men to step back from the object as he took a closer look. During the original mishap with Daniel and Vala, the technical bods at the SGC had poured over the machine like locusts in an attempt to find a way to release the pair from the device. Cameron had taken the time to read their report in case his team came across one — a member of his team falling victim to one was not something that he wanted for a mission.

The result of that meant the little that had remained lodged in his brain allowed Mitchell to know enough that even though the device was on and fully powered, that the readouts showed that the receiving device on the other end was not working. It would be safe to touch the device as long as it signalled that the receiver remained inert. Turning his head to look at Williams he instructed the Major to find a way of returning to the surface since he wanted Potter's help with examining the device.

While Christopher went ot examine his and Cameron's entry point to the chamber, Mitchell had Evans show him what else he had already learnt about the newly discovered facility. This had consisted mainly of several empty rooms, suggesting that at _some_ point it had housed various things now long gone. Evans had blinked at that, half commenting, "They emptied this place and left behind that machine you recognised, Sir?"

Mitchell nodded carelessly as he searched another empty room with his weapon drawn. He was a bit annoyed that Evans had already written off ay chance of being surprised by something and told the Lieutenant so. Evans shrugged and explained that he'd already thoroughly searched each chamber a half dozen times after finding himself in the complex and had uncovered nothing save the device in the main chamber. Still, he helped Mitchell in his survey and the pair soon returned to their starting point.

The Lt. Colonel was surprised to see Major Potter and Captain Dodgeson already present, Williams quickly explaining that Potter and Dodgeson hadn't become trapped with them through not following orders and remaining on guard. "I've managed to work out how to operate this thing (this being a panel on the wall where Williams and Mitchell had first found themselves on arrival) which is simply a modified Goa'uld ring device."

"I don't recall any rings," stated Cameron.

Williams shook his head. "I did say _modified_. You have to agree that the Goa'uld rings are a tad showy, probably on purpose to help sell the idea of being gods. Whoever went to the lengths of creating this facility, they didn't want it found. Hence the rings are actually built into the walls of that small black room above."

"Above?" was Evans' query.

"This whole place is underneath the clearing the stargate is in," explained Williams as he brought a schematic up on a nearby screen. "According to the database this place was the creation of the Goa'uld Qetesh."

Mitchell groaned in disbelief. "Vala."

"Sir?" queried Christopher.

"Vala was once host to Qetesh. This is probably how she knew this place even existed and how to get in. Question is, where is she now?"

"I think I have the answer to that question, Sir," interrupted Major Potter. "Come over here and take a look at this"

The three ambled across the room to where Potter and Dodgeson were, peering over the transportation device in the centre. "I've confirmed that this is essentially the same device that Daniel and Vala encountered a couple of years ago. It has been modified so rather than projecting a mind across galaxies as a means of communication, it has become a powerful transmat device."

"Good, and?"

"Well, Sir," continued Potter at Mitchell's prompting, "It transported people, body and all, and given the power levels involved it has enough juice to send them to the Ori galaxy. I managed to isolate the pattern recognition crystal —"

"Layman's terms, please."

"Essentially this crystal stores a record of whatever is to be transported and sends a copy of that record to the receiving terminal where the device can compare it to the arriving matter to make sure that whatever is being transported is put together at the other end correctly."

"And how does this help us?" asked Williams.

"By being able to access the pattern recognition crystal we can do this," explained Potter as she punched a series of buttons on the device console.

In response in front of the assembled SG-2 and Williams a ghostly, three-dimensional image of Vala sprung into existence.

"Give us a little more warning next time you do that, Potter," barked Mitchell after starting in surprise.

"Sorry, Sir," she answered with a grin on her face.

"So this means that Vala used the device and was transported somewhere in the Ori galaxy. Do we know exactly where?"

"The receiving station isn't signalling back so I've no way of telling where in that galaxy she would have arrived."

Mitchell frowned. "Was Vala the only one travelling in that direction?"

Potter nodded. "She's the last one to have used the device, some several weeks ago, and there was a significantly large time gap before that to not only suggest that she was definitely on her own when she went, but that the traffic on this device was probably the other way."

"Ori coming here," surmised Williams, to which Potter nodded.

"Why would Vala want ot head into Ori space?" was Evans' question.

"Well, what do we know she was up to before she disappeared?" mused Mitchell.

"The last time she crossed paths with SG-1 she had mentioned to Daniel that she had a new lead to follow up that might lead to the whereabouts of O'Neill and Carter," said Williams.

"A lead on O'Neill and Carter? That's almost like looking for the Holy Grail!" Potter was astounded that the self-serving thief was _actually_ helping somebody else, in this case Daniel.

"She does have a _thing_ for Daniel," muttered Williams who politely didn't mention that the good, currently missing Doctor had actually found the Holy Grail and used it against the Ori, "and Doctor Jackson has been a tad obsessive about finding out what happened to the missing pair. Perhaps she thought some _appearance_ of helping might buy her some favour with him?" The Major shrugged his shoulders.

"So she comes here to follow up a lead on O'Neill and Carter, and then what? Simply decides to take a jaunt into Ori space? Come on!" Dodgeson couldn't see the logic to that line of thinking.

"This, you said, doesn't match up with the rest of the facility?" Mitchell asked of Evans as he fingered the device.

Evans nodded. "Then," continued Mitchell, "what if Vala came here expecting to find this place how Qetesh left it and instead found it empty bar this?"

"And she tries it to find out what is going on and is accidentally transported away!" finished Potter somewhat excitedly.

"Then this is a dead end," announced Dodgeson. "We came here looking for Vala, and this thing (here the Captain kicked the base of the device) has transported her completely out of our reach."

Tashur

1422 hrs

"Well, what do you think, Teal'c?"

The Jaf'fa in question turned to survey his roommate, the pair having been escorted back to their new quarters on Tashur. "Disturbing."

"Your prediction about our fate at the hands of the council was a tad wide of the mark," mused Daniel.

"Ka'ne and Ha'la did not possess the influence I believed they had. Perhaps there is even a hierarchy within this council?"

"Still," added the younger man," this Lord and Lady do wield the power we assumed they do. The revelation of their expected arrival has certainly given us a reprieve."

Teal'c favoured the archaeologist with a raised eyebrow. "I believe that such a revelation was not wholly unanticipated."

"Pardon?"

"Yusen appeared to have divined the proclamation of the council before it was made and contacted this Lord and Lady as a means of staying our execution. We have much to thank her for it seems."

"An interesting supposition, Teal'c. But you have to admit that you are biased towards the woman due to your belief that the Free Jaf'fa have some sway there. But by a similar stretch of imagination it is conceivable that Yusen was acting on Ka'ne and Ha'la's orders when bringing news of the forthcoming arrival. A sort of backup strategy if they could not convince the council of their idea."

Teal'c didn't appear to like this idea and scowled. "I concede that it is a possibility."

"So," huffed Daniel in a change of topic, "what do we do while we wait for this exalted couple to show up, twiddle our thumbs?"

"There will be no thumb twiddling, DanielJackson. Perhaps it is best if we can question Yusen herself in an attempt to answer our questions."

The archaeologist blinked. "And you feel she will simply tell us what we want to know?"

"She has been forthcoming so far."

"All she has told us amounts to nothing more that what we could figure out for ourselves if we thought about it long enough. The rest of the time she simply laughs at our guesses!"

"Yusen is currently our best source of information as to the situation we find ourselves in," Teal'c heatedly reminded his team-mate. "We can not afford to ignore such an avenue given the precarious nature of our own continued survival."

"True," agreed Daniel, stuffing his hands into his trouser pockets for want of something else to do with them. The coffee jitters had him on edge. "My question still stands in the absence of Yusen to interrogate."

"Perhaps some thumb twiddling is in order, DanielJackson," the Jaf'fa said with a sly smile.

"Personally, I'd like a 'Plan B'. Along with perhaps a 'Plan C; and a 'Plan D' just in case A and B don't work."

"A contingency plan would be most advantageous," nodded Teal'c.

Daniel arranged himself on one of the provided beds and looked at his Jaf'fa team-mate. "So, to make a plan we need to know if they are Goa'uld or Tok'Ra."

"I have concluded that they are neither. That makes them all the more dangerous as we do not have the advantage of predicting their future actions. None of our plans can afford to rely on anticipating their behaviour or reactions. The Jaf'fa at their command should also prove a formidable hurdle as well."

"Ah," exclaimed Daniel as if in sudden understanding, "this must be one one of those occasions in which we wait for another SG team to rescue us."

"An interesting proposition, one I would happily designate 'Plan D' were it not for that fact that the SGC would have to find us first. We are not at our original location anymore."

"There are the subcutaneous transmitters we're equipped with. I understood that the signal could be picked up in subspace. A SG team could easily already be on the way here."

Teal'c shook his head. "One of my observations of the Jaf'fa here and how things are organised is that it is heavily influenced by the inner workings of the SGC."

"Yes, I had gathered that these were far more than your garden variety Jaf'fa Teal'c. How does this relate to 'Plan D'?"

"My point, DanielJackson, is that given their knowledge of SGC operations they may have a way of circumventing the transmitters we are fitted with."

"Oh."

"Oh, indeed."

"In other words our 'Plan B' had better be good," said Daniel out loud as if reality was finally sinking in now that the truth of the situation had been acknowledged.

"We must escape from here. The impending arrival of this Lord and Lady has only stalled our executions."

"Escape is good," agreed Daniel. Then after a pause he asked, "How?"

Gra'she'gar

1716 hrs

So, she had been searching out leads in order to help Daniel with his slightly obsessive need to find his two missing friends. That hadn't been too bad and it even felt nice to do a good turn for someone other than herself, even if it did contribute to an end goal of tempting Daniel into bed with her. Qetesh's base being completely stripped bare of everything she had expected to find there hadn't be so good. Nor had the nasty surprise of being transported into the Ori galaxy. Vala had definitely not wanted to put herself in any way to close to being under the thumb of her Ori-given daughter.

Now she was being treated as a guest, an amusing one at the very least but still a guest, by a group of Jaf'fa who were far more casual and relaxed that the type she usually had runs in with when out 'liberating' items of value from various planets. She'd been fed, humoured, and told the whereabouts of Daniel and Teal'c and all that she had given up so far was her name. For the sake of her sanity Vala decided that all these things were a _good thing_ and she should simply relax and enjoy the wild ride while it latest.

That last thought was interrupted by the notion that if Daniel was caught up in these same events then there was a good chance that the wild ride may turn out to be a little on the side of deadly. It always did when Daniel got involved in something — as if danger could smile him a mile away and came running. Humming to herself as she was led into the bowels of a ha'tak vessel Vala felt is was probably best if once she passed on to Daniel what she had learnt in the Ori galaxy that she should peck the cutely confused archaeologist on the check and run for the hills till the latest 'ride' was over and she could safely come out again.

"Where are we off to?" Vala asked Mal'tec as the group approached the bridge of the craft, the thief able to feel as the ship took flight.

"Tashur." At Vala's blank look Mal'tec continued, "The planet where your friends are currently in the hospitality of the Council."

"Oh. And this _Council_, they want to see me too?"

Mal'tec shook his head in amusement. "They are currently unaware that I am bringing you to them."

"Ah. That tells me very little," sighed Vala. "And are Daniel and Teal'c 'guests' of this Council like I am your guest?"

"Indeed, although I gather that a significant faction within the Council wishes to dispose of your two friends before any further security issues come to light."

"Dispose of? As in to kill?" asked Vala incredulously. "And here I thought we were becoming friends."

"They may change their minds once I apprise them of your discovery of the underground railroad."

"For better or worse, may I ask?"

"I do not know the will of the Council," smirked Mal'tec. "I think we should both be surprised when we reach Tashur."

"And how long will that be?"

"Oh, not long. Perhaps an hour or so."

Vala followed Mal'tec and his retinue onto the command deck of the ha'tak and for a moment just simply watched the blur of hyperspace outside the window. "May I ask another question?"

"Of course."

"You don't seem to mind telling me things. Why is that?"

"That is terribly simple, Mal Doran."

"Don't call me that, Vala will do," interrupted Vala.

Mal'tec nodded deeply. "Simply, the Council will either take you into its confidence in which case your knowledge of these matters will become a matter of course, or they will have you executed in which case you will take what you know to your grave with you."

"That's pretty black and white," argued Vala, "Surely there could a little wriggle room for little ol' me?"

"War doesn't always allow for shades of grey, Vala. You would understand that if you were a warrior," Mal'tec gravely intoned in response to the con woman's more playful wheedling.

"And the Council simply operates along those lines for everything?"

"Not everything. Simply matters that pertain to security and the war effort."

"That's the second time you've mentioned a war," Vala pointed out. "Is there something going on I should know about."

Mal'tec's face crinkled in amusement, which drew a slight scowl from Vala at the idea she might be being patronised. "We are fighting the same war that you are."

"Same war? As in against the Ori? _That_ war?" Vala was all surprise.

"Indeed, that war. It would hardly be the Goa'uld since the SGC has effectively broken the back of their dominion. Only a few of the former System Lords such as Ba'al still roam free, and others are far too powerless to pose a problem. No, it is the Ori that the Council fights."

"If that is true then where have you been these last two years, you know those times when the resources of this Council may have just come in handy. Perhaps even saved Dakara from Ori invasion?" Vala was taken aback at just how passionate about this issue she felt given it was miles away from her comfort zone of thieving. Was it simply her stake in things because Ariana was her daughter, or was there more to it than that?

"It takes a good leader to know which battles to fight in order to win the war. Dakara was deemed a battle that we could win, but one that would unnecessarily tip our hand too soon for us to be effective against the Ori in the future."

Vala crossed her arms angrily. "This Council needs a good kick up the arse if that is their attitude. People are dying out there, especially people who could be your allies like the Free Jaf'fa, Tok'Ra, and the SGC."

"There are reasons why others are not aware of our existence, especially those three. But perhaps this council meeting will change things with the knowledge that the SGC and Ba'al now have evidence of us."

"Ba'al knows about you?"

"Indeed, and has rightly come to fear us as a force to be reckoned with," boasted Mal'tec, many of the Jaf'fa on the command deck nodding in agreement with their commander.

"That's a tad arrogant."

"Perhaps," agreed Mal'tec with a smirk, "but then we are Jaf'fa, and taking pleasure in the defeat of our enemies is part and parcel of who we are."

"Defeat. As in Ba'al?" Vala couldn't help but ask.

"Yes. On the planet the SGC has designated P4X-607 Ba'al attempted a surprise attack on one of our many training camps. We wrought destruction on his inferior forces."

"You don't have to talk with such relish."

Shaking his head in bemused amusement, Mal'tec added, "That is where we took onboard two stowaways — Doctor Jackson and Teal'c of Chulak."

Tashur

1756 hrs

"Well, I've not come up with anything. You, Teal'c?" Daniel looked over at the Jaf'fa from his place on the provided bed.

The taller man shook his head instead of speaking. Short of beating people with his fists till he could obtain a weapon and blast his way to some form of escape ship, the Jaf'fa hadn't been able to conceive of a 'Plan B' that would be of some use to the incarcerated pair. He was still convinced that Yusen was still their best means of gathering further information and through her making plans for escape.

Speak of the devil (as the Tau'ri were often prone to say to Teal'c's amusement), mused the Jaf'fa as Yusen entered their quarters.

"Teal'c, Doctor Jackson," she greeted them.

"Ah ... Yusen. To what do we owe this honour?"

The female Jaf'fa favoured Daniel with a grin. "I can see that your appetite for answers has not been diminished by your extended stay with us. I hope that the accommodations have been to your liking?"

"Yes," replied the archaeologist before he realised what he was saying. "Wouldn't you agree they're the best we've ever been offered by our captors, Teal'c?" he asked in an effort to gain a handle on the conversation via humour.

"Indeed."

Yusen favoured them with a smile that suggested she viewed the two men as small children who needed to be patted on the head. "I believe that the pair of you will have questions considering the outcome of the Council meeting. I have been sent there by those I serve to be of service to you in this area."

"So we can ask questions?"

Yusen nodded.

"And you'll answer them?"

Again Yusen nodded to Daniel's query, resulting in an expression on the man's face as if he were a child in a candy store. At this look she said, "Perhaps I should head off a few of those questions by explaining what took place in the council chamber."

"Perhaps you should," agreed Teal'c, also vaguely alarmed by Daniel's reaction.

Yusen took a deep breath and then gestured for the two to take a seat, which they did as they were intrigued by what the Jaf'fa would tell them about their current predicament.

"Despite our formidable numbers, for which I will not provide a figure, Teal'c, the Council is of relatively new formation. It was created two years ago, each of the six pairs of councillors formed from one born of our Lord and Lady, and the other a rebel Tok'Ra operative who has come to our way of thinking.

The Council occupies a central position of power between our Lord and Lady, who rule in a form of dictatorial power akin to our old Goa'uld masters —"

"So this Lord and Lady are Goa'uld?" interrupted Daniel.

Yusen shook her head. "I only used them to illustrated that they wield a form of absolute power.

"They sit as the ultimate source of power within our structure. Alongside the Council is a Jaf'fa Summit. Both are equal in power and prominence. The difference between these two, beyond the background of the members, is the fields in which their power is exercised. The Council is concerned with internal matters within the structure and for the security of that body. The Summit is charged with external issues such as waging war against the Ori, Goa'uld, and other forces which would wish us a mere footnote in history rather than an ongoing, living organisation.

"At the other end of the power spectrum is the rest of our membership, those human and Jaf'fa not involved in the security or warmongering of the Council or Summit. It is they who raise our children, who grow our food, make our clothes, and work for the betterment of our lives."

Daniel was nodding as he listened. "So the impending arrival of this Lord and Lady is important because they have the power to override the decisions of the Council or Summit. While the Council may have decided to have us executed in the name of security, they have to defer to a higher authority that may have uses for us beyond simply being dead."

"Correct. You are indeed lucky that Ka'ne and Ha'la were able to apprise our Lord and Lady of the situation that was likely to develop her on Tashur."

"They anticipated the decision of the Council," surmised Teal'c.

"They did. For two years now we have survived and grown because very few outside of us knew of our existence."

"But Ba'al has learnt of you," pointed out Daniel.

"He did. Eight months ago he came across the Jaf'fa Summit recruiting new members for the war effort against the Ori forces. We were campaigning for new blood from an encampment of his own Jaf'fa forces, the surprise of his arrival for an inspection caught us off guard. There was much recrimination after the event over why this lapse in intelligence occurred.

"Since then Ba'al invested considerable effort in rooting us out, initially believing us to be a faction of the Free Jaf'fa rebellion he hoped he could use Anubis' remaining _enhanced_ (and here the pair could her the venom that Yusen imbued in the word) soldiers to eliminate. Once it was proved we were a greater threat that he had anticipated, signalled by our destroying what enhanced soldiers he had, he appears to have decided on drawing the SGC in to his scheme."

"The attack that we were originally caught in on P4X-607. You believe that Ba'al chose to attack when he knew we would be there to witness your existence?"

"Given that Ba'al knew what forces we can marshall, the numbers of men he pitted against us on P4X-607 was not a serious incursion. Merely enough to draw us into the fight. Had we known of your arrival things may have been different."

"How so?" asked Teal'c.

"The manner in which we fought Ba'al Jaf'fa. We might have simply abandoned the planet, leaving you to believe we were a weaker Goa'uld being driven off. Or perhaps we might have deployed troops bearing only one sigil in order to confuse you into believing that Goa'uld was present on the planet."

"That you not only came to know of us, but slipped on board the ha'tak is perhaps Ba'al's greatest victory against us so far."

Daniel frowned. "You make it sound as if the SGC would automatically be against you. Why would that be if you fight the Goa'uld and Ori as you claim?"

"Doctor Jackson, the Council and Summit under the guidance of our Lord and Lady intend to be the dominant power in this galaxy. We do not believe that your SGC would wish for such a situation to happen."

The two SG-1 members exchange a glance and Daniel sighed in defeat. "True, there are some among those who either fund, control, or monitor the SGC that would not like us to be a minor player on the galaxy-wide stage."

"Not minor, Doctor Jackson. Just simply not the dominant one."

"There's a difference?"

"The Asgaard were part of an alliance of four races were they not?" prodded Yusen.

Daniel nodded. "Yes. Them, the Nox, the Furlings, and the Ancients."

"And do you not suppose that while all four were major players in the development of this galaxy that one of them may have been the dominant force?"

The archaeologist blinked, sat back with a rueful smile and complained half-heartedly, "Why do all you answers have to be so damned reasonable?"

Yusen smothered a giggle as Teal'c gave Daniel a condescending look and remarked that, "Perhaps you are uncomfortable being bested at words by a Jaf'fa?"

"Hardly, Teal'c. With you around I'm always being humbled by your spartan, yet incisive dialogue."

"Indeed."

"See," exclaimed Daniel as he pointed a finger at his Jaf'fa friend. "Why I was always supposed to be the diplomat of SG-1 is beyond me when we have Teal'c around."

"Simply because, DanielJackson, as a Jaf'fa warrior my first instinct is to blast something, not to talk it to death."

Yusen watched the ping-pong like trade of words with an indulgent look as she contemplated the immediate future. Ka'ne and Ha'la had, when deciding to bring these two to Tashur rather than outright killing them on '607, gambled on the Lord and Lady choosing to side with them in ending the veil of secrecy. But would the Lord and Lady really be willing to put the lives of so many humans and Jaf'fa under their command in danger from the Ori and Goa'uld simply to save the lives of these two men? She could only hope that the wisdom that their leaders had shown so far would continue with regard to the coming decision.

P5X-944

1805 hrs

The team had spent a few more hours at the underground facility double checking to make sure that nothing had been overlooked before Mitchell decided to scrub the mission and return to the SGC. The facility would probably, now that it had been stripped of everything but the communications device, never be anything more than a curio for scientific-based SG teams to take a look at every now and then. He'd write up a report about the place, file it, and forget about it. He and Williams had other things to be doing — like finding Daniel and Teal'c. Obviously following Vala would only lead them in the direction of the Ori.

The team began assembling in the correct area for the ring transportation system so that they could make the return journey to the surface and thence back to the gate and the SGC. Seconds later this plan went out the window when Williams noted a sequence of lights activate on the wall where the controls for the rings were.

"Get off the pad!"

"What?" roared Cameron at Williams in surprise.

"Someone has opened the hidden ring room above us," he replied as he pointed at the lights that had lit up.

"Shit," cursed Mitchell and he signalled for the team to drop back from the main room and into the passage that led off into the empty depths of the complex.

Cameron was the last of his team to retreat, taking up a spot close to the floor at the doorway as he watched for the incoming arrivals. On the wall at the far opposite side of the room the lights changed again and suddenly a series of rings descended from the ceiling. A bright light washed out from inside the rings and Cameron could make out a group of several figures now standing in the middle of the rings. He pulled back further as the rings began to return to the ceiling, fleeing down the corridor as he realised that the party that had arrived were Jaf'fa.

"Sir?" queried Evans.

"Company. Didn't get the numbers. At least five," he huffed after the burst of running.

"Any idea who?"

Mitchell looked at Williams. "Jaf'fa."

Dodgeson coughed lightly. "Plan, Sir?"

"I think 'Get-the-hell-out-of-here' sounds good."

"Agreed," seconded Evans with a nod from Potter.

"Care to elaborate on 'Get-the-hell-out-of-here'?" asked Williams.

"Ummm, shoot people till they stop moving. Use the rings. Go home!" spat out Cameron.

"Okay. Concise. Not much can go wrong with a simple plan," summed up Potter with a grin.

"Then let's bag us some Jaf'fa," growled Dodgeson.

The team all flicked their P90s off their safeties and organised themselves into single file, Cameron at their head and Williams at their six. That was when they heard a party of Jaf'fa beginning to explore the corridors. Cursing softly in annoyance Cameron led them in a zigzag route through the rabbit warren of corridors and empty rooms as he tried to bring his team and Williams into a better position with which to gain control of the main room and secure the ring device. Every now and then as they moved swiftly and silently about the place they caught the faint tramping of Jaf'fa on the march.

After an extended pause during which Mitchell consulted the mental map of the complex he had in his head they came upon the corridor that would lead back into the main room. The corridor after a discrete investigation proved to be empty for now.

"Where do you think they are?" asked Potter.

Cameron looked back at her. "I have a horribly uneasy feeling that we now have Jaf'fa in front _and_ behind."

"Looking for us?"

"Probably not," replied Mitchell to Evans' question. "More likely they are making a sweep of the base to check it is clear."

"But the transportation device doesn't work?" Dodgeson was confused.

"No, it works all right," said Potter. "I simply said that the receiving station wasn't signalling back. It could be that that station is only 'on' at certain times rather than twenty-four-seven."

"It better be sending then," muttered Williams. "We don't need more Jaf'fa down here with us." He looked to Cameron. "You know it is only a matter of time before they find us."

Mitchell nodded. "At least now that we've lost the investigating party we should only have to deal with a smaller guard party in the main room. My guess is that they won't be expecting us."

"So we're going in all guns blazing?"

"Do you have a better idea? If we can hit them hard and fast then we can be out of there via the rings before the scouting party behind us can scramble back here."

"And if there is more Jaf'fa above ground at the gate?" asked Potter poking holes in Cameron's makeshift plan.

"Then they'll hardly be less surprised when we burst out of that fake tree than the team in the main room we're going to ambush. Look, we have no choice here. As Williams has so nicely pointed out that we can't play cat and mouse in here forever. We'd be caught eventually. That leaves us with fighting our way out while we still have surprise on our side, or surrendering. And I hardly need point out that the last option is not an option."

Potter nodded, rolled her eyes and sighed. "I'm not trying to be a spoilsport, Sir. I'm just making sure that you do know what you are asking us to do."

"Understood, Major," replied Mitchell grimly. "I'm plenty aware of what I'm asking. Now, is everyone ready to kick Jaf'fa arse?"

The rest of the group nodded and Mitchell signalled for them to hang back as he crept up the deserted corridor to the open archway that led into the main room. Extracting from a pocket of his BDUs a small mirror on a metal, bendable rod, Mitchell fixed it to the barrel of his P90 and gingerly pushed the barrel forward millimetre by millimetre till the mirror was able to give him a reflection of the interior of the main room.

The set up was consistent with what he expected from Jaf'fa. There were two with staff weapons stationed either side of where the ring platform was, a third by the console that controlled the rings themselves. Another Jaf'fa was currently weaponless, bent over the transportation device, and - from what little Cameron could make out - looking through the same transportation logs that Potter had trawled through earlier. There were two further Jaf'fa in the room, bringing the total to six. One of these was another rank-and-file Jaf'fa with staff weapon, standing with his back to the archway Mitchell hid in. The last was obviously the leader of the expedition and the only one for whom Mitchell could make out the branding sigil upon his forehead. From what it looked like, SG-2 and Williams were up against Morrigan, a Goa'uld who - from what Mitchell could remember - had dropped off the SGC radar after submitting to Ba'al a couple of years ago.

Given that the complex had belonged to Qetesh, why were Jaf'fa belonging to Morrigan holding the place as if they owned it? Dismissing the question for contemplation at a later date when he wasn't trapped in a Jaf'fa infested base with one exit, Cameron gently retracted the mirror and returned it to his pocket before scurrying back to the waiting group.

"Sir?"

"Six," replied Mitchell to Potter's query. "Two by the rings, one at the console, one at the transport device, one close to the entrance and one simply in the centre of the room."

The team nodded in understanding.

"I've got the centre of the room Jaf'fa since he's obviously the leader. Williams, the two by the rings are yours. Potter, the man at the ring controls is yours, Dodgeson the one at the transport device, and Evans you have the man closest to where we'll be taking our shots from so don't miss."

"Sir."

"Everyone aware of the game plan? Hit 'em when I give the order and then assemble at the rings. Potter, you've got the task of setting them to ring us up."

"We're ready, Sir," responded Potter and the team organised themselves quickly for the planned assault.

Moving back into the corridor, once it had been confirmed as still empty, the team edged up to the opening that lead into the main room. Mitchell checked the room again with his mirror to confirm the positions of the targets he'd spotted earlier, finding only his target had moved, walking closer to the Jaf'fa at the transportation device in order to engage in a conversation about something. With a series of swift gestures to the other four Mitchell conveyed the state of play in the main room and they all settle into readiness to pounce into the room on command.

"Now!"

With that the five dashed a short way into the room and took their spots, each lining up their targets efficiently and depressing the triggers of their P90s. Mitchell was none to happy to feel himself being hit from behind by a zat and as he fell to the floor of the room, P90 tumbling from his hands, he could see the rest of the team being taken out in the same way before he lost consciousness.


	5. Waiting for Godot

**FIVE: Waiting for Godot**

Goa'uld ha'tak, en route to Tashur

April 13th, 2008

1854 hrs

Of all the faces that Cameron expected to see upon regaining consciousness after being incapacitated by a group of Jaf'fa, it wasn't that of Vala who was squatted beside him with a huge, mocking grin on her face. It was a welcome change from the usual snarling visage of a Jaf'fa warrior, but Vala's grin didn't exactly fill him confidence either.

"Does this classify as another stellar example of why SG-2 needs to have me officially on the team?" the thief mockingly drawled.

"Can't you at least wait till I'm standing before making fun of me?" whined Mitchell.

"I could, but it would be less amusing for me to do so." Vala put out her hand for the Lieutenant Colonel to latch onto and helped pull him up so that he could stand. Once that was done Mitchell was able to see that he hadn't been separated from the rest of his team, the other four lying asleep on various bunks. Major Potter was already showing signs of coming to.

"So, what were you five up to that ended with you being roped into accompanying me?"

"Actually," said Cameron, as he shook the last vestiges of his enforced sleep from his head, "we were trying to find you?"

"Me? I wasn't aware that I was lost?" Vala was quite happy not to mention her _accidental_ adventure into Ori space if she didn't have to.

"Daniel and Teal'c went AWOL on a planet a day or two ago and we were hoping to have your help tracking them down."

"I must say I'm quite surprised to see you, Vala," commented Potter as she sat up on her bunk bed. "We were under the impression you were somewhere in the Ori galaxy right now."

"I was," Vala admitted with a sigh. She was never going to live this down. "But I managed to get myself _out _of that predicament."

"Only for both of us to be captured by Jaf'fa," mused Cameron.

"Not quite," argued Vala.

Dodgeson and Evans were stirring now as they recovered.

"How so?" asked Emma.

"How much do you know about our captors?"

"Not a lot," shrugged Mitchell as he rotated his shoulders to work out a kink. "Obviously belong to Morrigan from the one I got a good look at. My recall of what I read about Morrigan is a little hazy, are we in for a rough ride from your experience?"

Vala outright laughed, her raucous merriment rousing Dodgeson and Evans and bringing Williams from deep oblivion to alertness in one shocking thrust as he sat up.

"What?" was the strangled word Williams managed. His eyes then focussed on the thief they had been looking for and he muttered her name before sinking back onto his bed.

Hands on hips, even if she was sitting up on her bunk bed, Major Emma Potter fixed Vala with a death glare. "Care to share what you find so amusing about our current predicament?" she ground out.

"Well," smirked Vala, "it seems that we are all guests of a faction of the Free Jaf'fa."

"Free Jaf'fa?" repeated Mitchell in bemusement. "Why were they on P5X-944?"

"Probably because they had learnt from myself that I had used their transport system there and were investigating to see if any others had made used of that route. However, that isn't interesting," Vala dismissed the topic of conversation with a casual wave of her hand.

"It isn't?" asked Potter. "Why would the fact that a faction of rebel Jaf'fa we've not heard of before and has access to intergalactic transportation not interest us?"

"Because they're taking us to see Daniel and Teal'c," Vala announced with a bright smile and the clapping of her hands in anticipation to which Dodgeson and Evans merely looked back with blank looks.

"Is that the silver lining to the rather large cloud we currently have?" muttered Potter.

"Cloud?"

"We have been captured by a previously unknown force," explained Potter slowly as if talking to an unintelligent child, "We are currently weapon-less and likely outnumbered by same said force and we have no idea where we are or know of any means by which to either escape or call for help."

"Oh, well, that's okay then." Vala shrugged off the _Are you insane?_ looks she was getting from SG-2 and Williams. "I can tell you that we are with a form of the Free Jaf'fa that has been fighting for the same goals as ourselves; freedom from the Goa'uld and the Ori armies. Plus, we are currently on a ha'tak on our way to the planet Tashur. There we get to meet Daniel and Teal'c who have already arrived."

"That's a pretty good summary," conceded Cameron as he focussed on the rather perky and happy expression on Vala's face. The ex-thief was obviously a little blinded to the reality of their situation by the dangled carrot of meeting up with Daniel Jackson once more.

"It's good isn't it! I'm going to get to see Daniel again. I wonder if he's missed me?"

Mitchell and Potter exchanged a slightly worried glance, then conveyed with an eye-roll each just how enthusiastic they thought Daniel would be at such a reunion with hurricane Vala.

"According to Mal'tec, there is one big council thingy going on on Tashur right now that we might get to see and even be involved in."

"That doesn't sound quite so good," commented Williams.

"Really? What could go wrong?" asked Vala brightly.

Major Potter flexed her hands for a moment or two, it being quite clear to Mitchell that his second-in-command was itching to flatten the other woman.

"You just had to say that," muttered Potter.

Tashur

1936 hrs

Daniel had thought he was going to go insane from the waiting. It was either that or he'd gone far too long without a cup of coffee to sustain him. These Jaf'fa appeared to hold to Teal'c's mantra of no stimulants and as a result coffee had not been offered as a possible refreshment to the pair as they waited in their assigned room.

Their appearance before the Council had not progressed as Daniel had hoped it might and now they waited under sentence of execution, only still breathing because of a Lord and Lady deemed to be the highest authority that this odd mixture of Jaf'fa, humans and symbiotes submitted to. To wield such power the archaeologist imagined the as yet unseen duo to be of long standing existence. He was at a loss to explain the current set up any other way.

The result of all this was that Daniel was currently vacillating between wanting the Lord and Lady to never arrive so as to stave off possible execution till rescue came, wanting the oft-mentioned pair to turn up 'right now' so as to assuage his burning curiosity and answer all the questions he had bubbling up inside him, and dealing with going cold turkey from his regular caffeine fix. Teal'c meanwhile had merely taken one look at the all-over-the-place younger man and had decided that retreat was the best option. He'd chosen to meditate so as to avoid dealing with the twitching.

"Not Goa'uld, not Tok'Ra," muttered Daniel to himself as he paced the room, head bent in thought. "Frankly, this more closely resembles that aborted attempt by the SGC to create an alliance with the Tok'Ra and Jaf'fa than anything else we've ever seen. Only difference is that it seems to be working." Daniel stopped in his movements, pivoted on the ball of his foot and began moving in the opposite direction as he said, "What I really need is a fresh perspective on this set up. We have too little information."

At this point the door to the room slid open and the archaeologist suddenly found himself with an armful of Vala who had thrown herself at him as soon as she'd spotted him standing in the centre of the chamber. Daniel dealt with the enthusiastic ex-thief, while SG-2, and hanger on in the form of Williams, filed in behind with a team of Jaf'fa bringing up the rear. The escort stopped on the threshold of the doorway, observed the reunited SGC personnel for a moment or two, and then stomped away, closing and securing the door as they did so.

"Greetings ColonelMitchell, MajorWilliams, SG-2," intoned Teal'c while he mastered his surprise at their sudden appearance. He slid off the bed he had been meditating on and approached.

"Vala, how? Why?" was the less coherent response from Daniel, his face peeking over the still-hugging Vala's shoulder at the other newcomers.

Vala's hug by this point was almost a wrestle as she and Daniel fell backwards onto one of the beds.

"Get a room, you two," growled Emma.

"Hey, Teal'c," smiled Cameron as he greeted the imposing Jaf'fa member of SG-1 and ignoring the little Vala/Daniel display.

"ColonelMitchell. What brings you and your team to this trunk of the forest?"

"Trunk? Oh! 'Neck of the woods.'" Teal'c nodded in acceptance at the correction. "Ah, well, there is a long story and a short story."

"Which is more amusing?" queried Teal'c with a raised eyebrow.

"The long one, of course," whined Mitchell.

"Proceed."

As Mitchell launched into an involved explanation of all that had taken place with SG-2 and Williams since half of SG-1 had returned to the SGC without the archaeologist and the Jaf'fa, Emma had shaken her head in disgust as Vala's pinning of Daniel to the bed and marched over to break up the pair. The archaeologist emerged from under Vala in a rather dazed manner, hair mussed and eyes blinking furiously as if he could blink away the reality of what he was faced with.

Shaking his head at events Daniel faced the two women and like Teal'c asked for an explanation that would logically tick all the boxes for the questions he now had. It went without saying that Vala's interpretation of events was as dramatic and exaggerated as any retelling of her past exploits had ever been. It was full of close shaves, daring action and quick-witted thinking. Being an archaeologist Daniel was well used to separating fact from fiction and with the help of Major Potter was able to get a handle on what had been taking place outside of Teal'c's and his own situation.

"So you two are still around despite an attempt to off you," mused Mitchell after Daniel and Teal'c had explained their own actions including why they hadn't returned to the SGC with the rest of SG-1. Williams in particular had wanted to know why they hadn't seen fit to include him when they went AWOL gateside and was only partially placated by the justification that Falstaff would have twigged if his second-in-command were acting oddly. Plus there was the added fact that neither Daniel nor Teal'c were officially part of the US armed forces and wouldn't be held to the same expectations of behaviour. They figured there would be some latitude in explaining away any punishment due to this.

"Yes, this Lord and Lady, whoever they are, are a force to be reckoned with it seems," sighed Daniel. "I'm still not sure that they won't execute us anyway, as this mysterious duo may agree with the majority decision."

"I don't like the sound of that," pouted Vala. "They'll probably want to kill us next if that is the case."

"Do we have any sort of leverage to bargain with?" was Williams' contribution.

Daniel spread his hands open, palms up in a gesture of being clean out of ideas.

"We have Ka'ne and Ha'la," put in Teal'c. "They are two of the twelve councillors and they currently oppose our execution."

"Benevolent reasons?" asked Emma Potter.

Teal'c shook his head. "The longer they can keep us alive the better their position is to argue their point."

"Which is?"

"To bring forward whatever timetable this group is working to," Daniel said in answer to Dodgeson's query.

"Damned if we do and damned if we don't," said Mitchell. "Staying alive is good, but if we do we chance this well organised and apparently powerful group moving into action sooner rather than later. And currently nobody back at the SGC has any idea this is in the offing."

"Nor do the Tok'Ra or the Free Jaf'fa," frowned Teal'c as he explained more of the titbits he and Daniel had learnt.

"Not Tok'Ra. Goa'uld then?" asked Potter.

"We were laughed at for such a suggestion," admitted Daniel ruefully.

"From what Vala's seen it doesn't appear to be a power structure built on fear, punishment and ignorance. Very unGoa'uld-like," agreed Potter.

"They appear to have either spies or sympathisers within the ranks of the Tok'Ra and the Free Jaf'fa. Nor given the manner in which they conduct themselves can we rule out the possibility that the same holds true for the SGC."

"So they're the CIA of space," quipped Evans at Daniel's remark. "What do we do about it?"

"Escape," suggested Dodgeson. He shrugged when everyone looked at him. "I know it's obvious, but someone had to say it."

"Did you and Teal'c have any plans laid prior to our arrival?" Cameron asked of Daniel.

Everyone but Teal'c seemed to lean closer to hear what the archaeologist's answer.

"Er, actually, we were waiting to rescued by the SGC," admitted Daniel.

Christopher stared incredulously at his two teammates.

"We were stumped!" cried Daniel in defence.

"Well, perhaps with a few more of us here now we can think of a way out of here," Emma said with a more positive spin on things.

"If we escape the facility, what then?" asked Daniel. "All we know is that we are on the planet Tashur. Teal'c and I have not been allowed to see much of the complex since we arrived."

"There's no stargate," said Vala suddenly into the silence. She stared back at all the faces turned to look at her. "Mal'tec told me on the way here. It's why they have chosen to base themselves here and at Gra'she'gar. The only means of approach is by spacecraft."

"That gives them plenty of warning should enemies come calling," agreed Dodgeson.

"A ship then. Do we feel up to stealing an al'kesh or even a ha'tak?" asked Mitchell.

"I should think stealing a ha'tak would be noticed, ColonelMitchell," interjected Teal'c.

"They're a little conspicuous, I agree," said Mitchell with a smile, before jokingly asking, "All in favour of nicking an al'kesh say 'aye'."

"We're not going to stay to find out more?" put in Vala before Cameron could push ahead with the agreed course of action.

Daniel shook his head. "As much as I'd like to stay and observe and dissect this fascinating new offshoot of Tok'Ra or Goa'uld society, I'm more in favour of my continued existence — ascension not withstanding."

"Plus the SGC has to know about this group, and as soon as possible," added Cameron who clapped his hands and then said, "So, we have a rough plan of escape. Any idea of how we achieve it?"

"There are Jaf'fa guarding this room at all times," explained Teal'c. "We will require a means of overpowering them."

"Plus we have to open the door in the first instance," said Evans.

"Well, good ol' brute force should work for the first," said Cameron as he now rubbed his hands together. "Dodgeson meanwhile should be able to rig the door mechanism into opening, right Captain?"

"I make no promises," said the man in question. "If worst comes to worst I'll simply fake being ill and have them open the door themselves."

"Doesn't anybody else think that we should stay here?" tried Vala for a second time.

Potter turned a weary eye on the ex-con artist. "Any particular reason you are so insistent on us staying here?"

"An interesting question, MajorPotter," agreed Teal'c as he too turned to Vala. "We are dealing with some form of Goa'uld and in our recent battle with the Ori have simply forgotten to consider whether one or more of us have been compromised by the parasites."

Evans and Dodgeson took a couple of steps towards Vala, causing the woman to back towards a corner. "It's not like any of us have seen her for some time. Anything could have happened to her," suggested Dodgeson.

"_Nothing_ has happened to me," Vala angrily bit out. "Is everybody that paranoid?"

"With snakes that can hide in your head it pays to be," stated Cameron.

The partly reformed thief threw a pleading look at Daniel who thought about it for a moment. Which was probably a moment too long for Vala who was now giving him a very hurt look. "Daniel?"

"I say we trust her," the archaeologist eventually said.

Dodgeson wasn't so forgiving and let Jackson know what he thought.

Daniel shrugged. "Just a feeling," he concluded in the face of such anatomical suggestions.

"Look," argued Vala, "collectively we've found out very little about this organisation. Surely we need something more informative to take back to the SGC. After all, didn't the IOA initially believe the Ori threat to be nothing more than a ploy for continued funding?"

"Indeed, yet two of our party face death. Perhaps even more of us once the Council has had an opportunity to deliberate. That is not a chance we afford to take."

"Perhaps," allowed Vala. She was still determined to win her point, "However, we are certainly important enough to them for this council to have issued orders for us not to be killed on sight. That you two have stood before this council rather than being executed on discovery aboard the ha'tak is evidence of that. So is the treatment of myself and SG-2."

"Circumstantial," countered Potter. "Daniel and Teal'c weren't killed because this council wanted to know what we knew of them. The same thing probably goes for the rest of us. That ten out of the twelve were in favour of doing away with them backs that up. According to Daniel it was only Ka'ne and Ha'la calling on this Lord and Lady that has delayed their deaths. And you want to stick around for their arrival?

Vala nodded.

Emma closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them again she looked at Vala differently. "You know something, don't you? Something you haven't told us yet."

"Share with the group," ordered Cameron.

"It's nothing concrete you have to understand," stalled Vala.

"Spit it out," cried Evans.

"Fine," acquiesced Vala to the demands. "Do you recall why I have been absent from the SGC for months now?"

"Because you got yourself lost in Ori space," replied Dodgeson with a smirk.

Vala let out a frustrated screech of annoyance. "No, I was looking for leads on what happened to General O'Neill and Colonel Carter."

The Jaf'fa of the group glanced towards Daniel to see his reaction. The younger man hid his twitch quite well.

"You've been at that on and off since you learnt of what happened to them from Daniel two years ago. What does that have to do with our current predicament?" asked Williams, aware of the woman's ongoing effort to win some sign of affection from Daniel by restoring his missing friends to him.

"I came across a substantial lead."

"And?" growled Daniel.

"My source had one word for me: Tashur," Vala informed the semicircle of people. "When Mal'tec told where he was taking me I must admit it took some effort to show no reaction. I wanted to punch the air like those people do on TV when they've won something."

Potter was heard to mutter something about 'gameshows' to this statement.

"You believe that O'Neill and ColonelCarter may be present on this planet?" asked Teal'c.

Vala shrugged. "That's what my source implied. I just thought you two especially might want to dig a little deeper here before attempting to leave."

Cameron looked to Daniel and Teal'c. "Your call boys. You are the two with your heads currently on the block. Do we stay or do we bust out of here?"

Behind Cameron, Potter mouthed 'bust out of here' incredulously to Williams on the opposite side of the semicircle, who then responded with an amused shrug. Mitchell always liked a little drama.

The archaeologist and Jaf'fa merely locked eyes for a moment or two before Daniel answered. "We stay."

xxx

In the end the evening concluded with another visit from Yusen and her Jaf'fa, eager to listen to tales from the SGC members of their exploits in battle against various enemies, whilst at the same time sharing small tidbits of their own crusades against the formidable forces aligned against their Lord and Lady.

Despite the efforts of the SGC personnel present, they gained little further insight into the make up and systems of the society they were currently 'guests' of.

During this session however, Teal'c did entice one of the Jaf'fa, the one he'd noted before to Daniel as belonging to Ishta, into conversation on a one-on-one basis. Afterwards, when the Jaf'fa had departed and the party was left to their own devices till the next morning, he informed the teams that he might have a means of getting word to the SGC of their predicament.

"Are you sure this will work, Teal'c?" Mitchell asked with some concern.

"Is there a reason why it should not?"

"Apart from the fact that she is one of Yusen's underlings?" pressed Mitchell. "Daniel's already pointed this out to you. You may believe her to be a Free Jaf'fa infiltrator, but isn't it just as likely that she be spying _on_ the Free Jaf'fa rather than the other way around?"

After a stony silence the Jaf'fa did concede that this was a possibility. Then he added, "Yet given our current situation is it not best to make use of _any_ means that may arise to communicate with the SGC?"

"And if it turns out you were wrong about this Jaf'fa's loyalty to Ishta?" asked Potter.

"Would we have lost anything?" asked Teal'c.

"Well," Dodgeson eventually said, "At worst all we'll achieve is pissing this council off and what can they do to us that is worse than the death they already have planned?"

"It is agreed then?" the Jaf'fa questioned of the group.

"Fine," answered a weary Mitchell, ready for a sleep despite being unconscious earlier. Who knew being knocked out was so exhausting? "Try and pass a message on to Ishta via this Jaf'fa warrior, Teal'c. Only don't get caught. I don't want this council up in arms till _after_ I've had breakfast."

April 14th, 2008

0734 hrs

Breakfast it turned out consisted of a selection of cold meat cuts and fruits with water and milk provided as drinks. Once the meal had been delivered by some of Yusen's Jaf'fa, the SGC group and ex-con hanger-on were left to their own devices once more and further discussion of their current situation ensued.

"So essentially this Council is running some sort of underground railroad into Ori space, shipping people and possibly materials back and forth," summed up Mitchell from the informal debriefing that Vala had given over her recent exploits. "And has done for at least two years?"

Vala shrugged. "Mal'tec was rather vague on the exact times."

"Man, what I would have given to have known about this last year!" exclaimed Cameron. "Would have made sending that ascended-killing device into Ori territory a lot easier to pull off, none of that tedious mucking about with supergates and whatnot. We could have just signed it over to these guys like a courier delivery."

"I don't think this Council would have taken nicely to being treated like bicycle couriers, Cameron," complained Daniel.

"I wasn't talking about bicycle couriers. These guys would at least have had vans."

Fearing that the conversation could only get further off topic and possibly weirder, Major Potter pushed things along. "So these people you met, who directed you to the underground, they may also be apart of this trafficking?"

Again Vala shrugged. "I didn't ask as I was more worried about being captured by the Ori forces, okay?"

"Suffice it to say, that once again it is proven that this organisation has an extensive reach," rumbled Teal'c. "Perhaps an escape attempt would have proven ultimately futile since any planet we may have escaped to might have had Council spies."

"Paranoid much, Teal'c?" asked Williams. "You and Daniel have talked about little else but spies in the SGC, in the Free Jaf'fa — your sock draw."

"It is not paranoia when your socks go missing," quirked the Jaf'fa.

The breakfast and the rather aimless conversation were interrupted by the arrival of Yusen herself. She stood in the open doorway and bowed slightly before instructing the group to remain seated, Daniel having already started to rise to return her bow, and entering the room. Behind her followed two more Jaf'fa with a large covered object carried between them.

"What's this?" asked Daniel as the object was deposited on the floor closest to him.

"A communication arrived late last evening from our Lord and Lady, requesting that you be allowed to examine this recovered artefact," explained the female Jaf'fa leader.

Scrabbling to his feet Daniel moved closer to the object and watched with baited breath as the two Jaf'fa carefully removed the covering to reveal a large box with handles. On the top was a small dome covered in symbols.

"A special team recovered this from near Celestis, home of the Ori. Our Lord and Lady believe it to be the means by which the Ori armies shall be finally defeated and hoped that you DoctorJackson might speed things along through your knowledge of the Ancients." Yusen raised an eyebrow at the end of her short speech and waited for the archaeologist's response.

Mitchell stepped forward first however, a restraining hand on Daniel's shoulder. "Just why are you doing this?"

"Two reasons, ColonelMitchell. One, should DoctorJackson here give us the means to utilise this device," Yusen at this point gesturing to the good Doctor who was growing visibly excited, "it will help us in the defeat the armies of the Ori. Is that not a worthy goal in itself?"

Cameron gave a slow nod and dug his fingers into Daniel's fleshy shoulder, causing the other man to wince slightly and scowl at him. "Just wait, Jackson. Good things come to those who wait." He looked back at Yusen. "And the second?"

"It is in the interests of my commanders on the Council, Ka'ne and Ha'la, who believe that by letting DoctorJackson decipher the device it will gain them leverage within the Council, please our Lord and Lady and provide yourselves with a possible stay of execution."

"It was this Ka'ne and Ha'la who petitioned to let Daniel look at it?" asked Mitchell. Yusen nodded and then after a long pause Cameron released Daniel. "Fine, Daniel, go ahead and blow yourself up with whatever it is they have brought you to play with."

Daniel reached out and touched the device hesitantly, a contrast after his initial eagerness and then looked back at his colleagues. "Do you guys not know what this is?"

"No," shrugged Vala, "a box?"

"I think this is what we've been looking for during the last few months." Daniel ran his hands across the top surface and leaned closer to look at the markings on the dome. "I believe this is the Ark of Truth the Ancients built."

"Where did you say you found this again?" asked Potter of Yusen.

"On a mountain side near the city of Celestis. It took a team of ours much covert effort to remove it from under the gaze of the Ori and spirit it back here to Tashur some months ago."

"Using the same transportation system that ValaMalDoran was caught up in," surmised Teal'c from Yusen's answer.

"Indeed," nodded Yusen.

"Well no wonder we couldn't find the damn thing," groaned Williams as he recalled weeklong digs on various planets. "If it was in the Ori galaxy all along we were never going to find it after limiting out search to the Milky Way."

"The Ancients must have left it behind when they fled the galaxy," mused Daniel as he tried pressing one of the symbols, which lit up briefly.

"So," began Mitchell as he crouched down next to the archaeologist, "any idea of what it does?"

"I believe it is supposed to be able to convince people that the Ori are not gods to be worshipped," replied Daniel.

"Sort of brainwashes them?" asked Dodgeson.

"In a sense," agreed Daniel. "Although I suspect that the device can be programmed to make people believe whatever you want them to believe."

"Sky is purple, grass is red, that sort of thing?"

"Oh, I'm sure it can do that Chris, but I think you're missing an important point which makes this device incredibly dangerous."

"Pardon?"

Emma rolled her eyes at Evans. "You can _make_ people believe what _you_ want," stressed the Major. "With a device like this you could take over a world, a galaxy — hell, the entire universe without bloodshed. Just a press of the button and everyone believes you have a right to rule over them."

"Precisely, which is why the Ancients probably never used it in the first place. This thing is simply open to abuse, not to mention the philosophical issue of free will that this thing can casually do away with." Daniel stood up and Cameron joined him.

"Will you help decipher the means of using this device, DoctorJackson?" Yusen asked.

"If it'll get rid of the Ori armies advancing on Earth, why are we even asking the question?" was Dodgeson's point of view.

"Because, even if I _did_ work out how to use this thing and this Lord and Lady _did_ then use it to end the crusade in the name of Origin, what is there to _stop_ them from then using the Ark on _us_ and the rest of Earth?" growled Daniel.

"Oh."

"'Oh' indeed."

Nothing more was said for the moment till Yusen finally signalled for the Ark to be taken away. "The Ark will remain on a room on this floor. Should you change your mind, DoctorJackson, let my Jaf'fa know."

Teal'c moved to help the two female Jaf'fa cover the device and then followed them to the door to see them out. Yusen favoured them all with a once over, especially Daniel, and then followed the Ark out. Once the door had slid shut Teal'c turned back to the group with a raised eyebrow.

"I find it curious that our search for the Ark should come to such a quiet end," the Jaf'fa mused.

"Quiet?" queried Mitchell.

"Is the universe in danger of ending?"

Mitchell paused. "No. At least, I don't think so."

"Then it is a _quiet_ end to our search. Be thankful of that ColonelMitchell."

"So," huffed Emma, "if this Council have the Ark, are we still going to use it on the Ori armies as planned?"

"Sure, why not?" countered Cameron. "We'll just factor in stealing the Ark when we make our escape."

"Still keen on stealing an al'kesh, I see," barked Evans in vague amusement.

"I doubt that stealing the Ark will be a walk in the park," said Major Potter, "In fact I'd be surprised if these Jaf'fa haven't anticipated such a plan on our parts. Why else would they so easily dispense the location of the Ark otherwise, when they've been cagey with other details of the complex here on Tashur?"

"You mean it's a test?" complained Mitchell.

"Possibly."

"Which if you're right means that an escape attempt is no doubt expected as well," observed Mitchell as he sank down to sit on one of the provided beds.

"No joy ride in an al'kesh?" grinned Evans. "I'm disappointed."

"We're overlooking an important point," said Williams as he spoke up.

"Which is?" asked Potter.

"Is the Ark that they just presented us with the genuine object? No point trying to steal it if it is a fake."

Everybody looked at Daniel who held his hands up in a placating manner. "No idea, folks. I'd need a longer look to be sure if it matches up with the limited descriptions I have found."

"Well, that's no big deal," said Vala brightly, "after all, we were planning to hang around anyway before Daniel had something to play with."

"Perhaps you should stall for as much time as you can with the device, regardless whether it is genuine or not, DanielJackson," suggested Teal'c.

"Any particular reason, Teal'c?"

The Jaf'fa gave the group a small grin. "One of the Jaf'fa with the Ark was the member of Ishta's team that I mentioned yesterday."

"The one you planned to use to contact Ishta via," recalled Dodgeson.

"Indeed. As I helped them remove the device I was able to pass a message along."

"I don't remember seeing you do that," frowned Cameron till he favoured the Jaff'a with a naughty smile, "You sly dog, you passed her a note!"

"He did?" mumbled Daniel in confusion.

"A bit of sleight-of-hand trickery was all that was required," nodded Teal'c.

"Really, Teal'c?" asked Vala, "You performed a con trick to pass a message on? I'm impressed."

A queer look passed over the Jaf'fa's face. "It is also a method favoured by Tau'ri magicians," he defended.

"When did you learn to do this?"

"About seven years ago I had a lot of free time to pursue obscure areas of interest," replied Teal'c, as he remembered some of the better moments of being forced to repeat the same day over and over again.

"So we need to stall for time in order for your message to reach Ishta," summed up Cameron from the bed. He moved to lie down and stretch out, hand folded behind his head. As others abandoned the breakfast table and found places to rest themselves, Mitchell asked of the Jaf'fa, "What exactly did you say in your message?"

"I gave brief details of what we have learnt about the existence of this Council and their Jaf'fa, and instructed her to pass this information on to the SGC."

"Comprehensive then," noted Potter. "No request for a rescue?"

"Such an undertaking was indeed requested, but felt that it went minus the need to talk."

Vala meanwhile was fighting off Daniel's attempts to prevent her from utilising his bed – while he was on it. "How long does lover-boy here have to stall for then?" she asked.

"No more than twenty-four hours," Teal'c gravely stated.

"Think you're up to that, Jackson?" Cameron queried as he took up staring at the ceiling.

"I'll try," the archaeologist replied as Vala wrapped her arms around his waist and spooned him from behind.

"Then if you don't mind, I'm going to get some more shut eye. We can plan an escape attempt later if Ishta doesn't show."

1715 hrs

With Mitchell having decided that rest was the best course of action till Teal'c's gambit with Ishta's agent came to fruition, most of the newly arrived SGC personnel found places to take a break and drifted off to sleep. Teal'c opted to continue his meditation, which left Daniel to himself. He took the quiet time to continue his pondering of the make up of the organisation that he had been presented with, trying to match it against those societies of Earth, as well those further afield. He was not having much luck, which was frustrating him to no end.

This frustration perhaps explains why he sought to distract himself by petitioning for an opportunity to examine the ark. It was a little awkward at first, banging on the door to attract the attention of the guards. Once they'd opened the door and _not_ struck him down dead because of his actions, they had heard his request and told him that it would be passed along.

It was fifteen minutes after he'd knocked on the door, that the door opened and one of Yusen's more senior female Jaf'fa entered the room. She sized up the sleeping forms of the other members of the room, pausing longer at the meditating Teal'c, before turning to the archaeologist who was quaking slightly in his boots.

"You wish to see the device, Doctor Jackson?" she asked simply and plainly. There was certainly no sign that his request was unexpected, or expected for that matter.

"Yes," he replied, "and call me Daniel."

"If that is your wish, DanielJackson." The Jaf'fa gestured to the door, "If you would step out of the room."

Following the instruction Daniel entered the corridor, closely followed by the Jaf'fa once she'd swept her eyes over the other occupants once more time. Once the door was securely shut behind them and the two Jaf'fa guard back on station, Daniel was instructed to follow the female Jaf'fa as she led him down the corridor, through a T-junction and then on to a corridor that terminated with a door.

Here the Jaf'fa pressed her palm to a plate beside the door and after the briefest hesitation the door slid smoothly open. It revealed a plain room devoid of any decoration. The only object in the room that Daniel could see, beyond the door at which he stood, was the item he felt might be the Ark of Truth.

"Do you require any tools to make you examination?" the Jaf'fa asked politely, startling Daniel out of his silent sizing up of the room.

"Ah, er, yes," Daniel managed, before adding with a touch more eloquence, "Pencil and paper please."

The Jaf'fa nodded her head in understanding. "They will be brought shortly."

"Er, thank you," said Daniel bobbing his head. "May I know your name?"

The Jaf'fa gave Daniel an amused look. "My name is Ta'lan."

"Thank you, Ta'lan," said Daniel, bobbing his head once more.

The amused look turned into a sneaky grin. "Perhaps you should save your flirting for your thief of a friend, DanielJackson. I am already spoken for."

"No, no," babbled Daniel, worried he'd made a faux pas with the Jaf'fa woman.

"Your pencil and paper will be delivered shortly, DanielJackson. Happy investigating."

With that parting remark the Jaf'fa stepped away from the threshold of the room and the door slid shut, leaving Daniel along with only the box for company.

Turning away from the door Daniel wandered over to the reputed Ark of Truth and dropped to sit down next to it, crossing his legs as he did so.

1726 hrs

"Mmm, Daniel," sighed Vala as she rolled over on her bed, still happily in the grip of Morpheus.

Major Potter rolled her eyes in disgust and turned to look at Mitchell and Williams who were standing by the door. "Where do you think Doctor Jackson has gone?"

"Unless it is a toilet break," said Mitchell, "I'd guess he was either off being interrogated or looking at the Ark."

"Knowing Daniel," noted Williams, "he probably asked to have a look at the device."

"Without telling anyone?" asked Potter as she approached the pair.

"Daniel can be a little blinkered when it comes to a potential archaeological breakthrough," admitted Williams.

"Time away from little Miss octopus over there was probably a bonus," commented Potter as she looked back at the sleeping Vala.

"Any particular reason you are ragging on Vala so hard?" queried Mitchell, slightly concerned by his second-in-command's behaviour towards the ex-con.

"I prefer to keep the variable to a minimum, Sir, if at all possible," Emma Potter attempted to explain. "With Vala I have no way of knowing which way she'll jump next."

"Oh, that's easy," Christopher Williams said with a cheeky grin, "She'll always jumps into Daniel's lap."

"Discussing DanielJackson's love life is far more fun if he is present," intoned Teal'c from where he sat on his bed, eyes now open and refreshed from his meditations.

"That was the stunning revelation your meditation gave to you was it, Teal'c?" enquired Mitchell.

"I do not require meditation to achieve such limited insight, ColonelMitchell," the Jaf'fa fired back with amusement. "Instead I pondered the society we see before us."

"Society?" asked Williams.

"Indeed. We have, by design, seen very little of it, but with Daniel's observations and Vala's recount of her journey here, it is obvious that there is more beyond the simple military trappings we have interacted with so far."

"And this is important enough to meditate upon, because?" prodded Potter.

"If these Jaf'fa, humans, and Goa'uld, for want of a better word, are forging a society together, then they have something greater to fight for than just themselves, their false gods, or money," Teal'c noted with a considered tone.

"I see what you mean, Teal'c," agreed Mitchell. "They're not simply mercenaries, slaves to a god, or out for some form of personal revenge. They fight for something greater, other people."

The Jaf'fa nodded his head.

"So, that makes them more dangerous, less dangerous?"

"Neither, MajorWilliams. It was simply an observation."

Williams grew angry and stalked up to the Jaf'fa, "No it wasn't! That wasn't simply an observation! What the hell are you hiding?"

The Major's bellowing woke the other three occupants of the room, Vala grumbling about interruptions to nice dreams as she stood and tugged her clothing back into shape.

"I am not hiding anything, MajorWilliams," protested Teal'c as he got up from his bed to stand toe-to-toe with the irate Major.

"Really?" asked Christopher sarcastically.

"Indeed."

The two men stood watching each other for a moment before the Jaf'fa spoke again. "I merely meditated on the nature of the organisation we find ourselves prisoners of and presented you with my conclusion. Nothing more, nothing less."

"What good does that do us?" hissed Williams.

"You must understand your enemy if you ever hope to defeat them," said Teal'c calmly.

Fed up Potter pushed her way between the two. "Stop this pissing contest right now, you two!"

They each looked at her liked she'd grown another head.

"Look, we've been cooped up here for some time and we're _very _unsure what is going to happen in the immediate future. I had _hoped_ that with everyone taking a short break we might have avoided this, but obviously not."

"You're right," nodded Williams as he looked to the Jaf'fa. "Sorry, Teal'c. I'm busy biting your head off for no good reason. I'm just not liking Daniel's absence, nor the wait to hear from Ishta."

"Have any of you bothered to ask the guards if you can see Daniel?" asked Vala from where she stood, picking at the remains of their last meal.

No one said anything.

"Why am I not surprised," muttered Vala.

"Well, to be honest," began Mitchell, "it's not something you actually ever think of asking a Jaf'fa prison guard."

"And yet," responded Vala, "they've repeatedly reminded us that these aren't Goa'uld we're dealing with and they aren't a typical Jaf'fa army."

"Good point," Major Potter grudgingly conceded.

Mitchell marched over to the door and banged on it three times. A moment later he took a step back as the door slid open to reveal the expectant visage of one of the Jaf'fa guards. "Yes?"

"I'd like to visit Daniel."

The guard nodded. "I will pass your request on," he said and the door slid shut again.

Vala favoured the group with a smug smile.

1754 hrs

If it wasn't for the fact that he was the prisoner of some strange Jaf'fa/human/Goa'uld conspiracy led by a mysterious Lord and Lady, under postponed sentence of death, and awaiting an probably unlikely chance of rescue from Ishta, Daniel would have said that he was enjoying himself.

He had already covered over two dozen sheets of paper in various sketches and rubbings of the supposed Ark of Truth and had filled an equal amount with his own scribbled notes, working feverishly in the belief that at any moment the Jaf'fa would come in and drag him away from the device when its mysteries were still tantalisingly out of reach.

He took a sip from the glass of water he'd asked for a quarter of an hour ago and made another note on the pad in front of him as the entered combination of keys failed to elicit any response from the device. He drew a line through the proposed sequence and scribbled a new one underneath it. Putting down the glass he stabbed at the keys in the guessed order, each one lighting up as he did so, and waited. The lit keys faded back into dull inaction in the same order he'd keyed them in and nothing happened.

Daniel was crossing out that sequence and pondering a new combination when the door opened and Mitchell entered the room under escort. Seeing Mitchell, the archaeologist raised an eyebrow.

"Daniel," Mitchell said in greeting as he stepped into the room and the door slid shut behind him.

"Mitchell."

"Just thought I'd come and see how you were doing," Cameron said with affected casualness as he squatted down next to the seated archaeologist.

Daniel pushed his glasses back up his nose and put his pad down. "I'm almost convinced that this is the genuine article."

"Really?" asked Mitchell with some surprise, running his hand over the lid.

"Really," said Daniel with some enthusiasm. "It matches all the details I can recall finding about the device."

"But?"

The older man sighed and ran his hand under his glasses to rub at his tired eyes. "There is no but."

"You said _almost convinced_, Daniel," Cameron pointed out.

"I know, I know. I guess I'm simply peeved that this group found the Ark before we could."

"Professional envy," mused Mitchell with some mirth.

"Something like that."

"So then it _is_ the genuine article?"

"I believe so," agreed Daniel.

"What's inside then?" asked Mitchell as he moved to open the lid.

Daniel made noises of protest and batted the Colonel's hands away from the lid. "We have no idea what could be inside, so I don't think trying to open it is a good idea."

"Oh." Mitchell cast his eye around the room and picked up one of the loose sheets of pad paper strewn about. "And these?"

"I've been experimenting with possible activation sequences," explained Daniel.

"Is that a _good idea_?"

"At this stage I wasn't thinking it was a _bad idea_. After all, we could conceivably use it to eventually brainwash our way out of here."

Mitchell gave that idea some though. "Just zap the guards as we go and they'll do anything to help us escape?"

"It's an idea," admitted Daniel, "but at this stage not only have I no way to activate it, but I'm not even sure just how it goes about conditioning someone's mind. Do they need to be in the same room as the device? Do they need to be touching it for it to work?"

"So, a few variables then," summed up Cameron.

"Apart from the biggie," sighed Daniel as he collected his notes off Mitchell.

"Biggie? We have an even greater obstacle?"

Daniel tapped the lid of the Ark. "This was designed by the Ancients to convince the people of the universe _not_ to worship the Ori. I am therefore assuming that that is what it is currently programmed to do. Since I haven't even worked out how to turn it on, I'm pretty sure it'd take even longer to work out how to programme it to brainwash people with a different idea. Hence why I said it was something that _eventually_ might work."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh. We're back to relying on Teal'c's plan with Ishta to work once more."

Mitchell watched Daniel for a moment as the older man tapped out a new sequence on the device, before scribbling it out when it fail to produce any sort of result.

"Do you think Teal'c's plan has merit?"

"I do," replied Daniel as he wrote out a new combination on the papr, pencil working furiously across the page. "Teal'c doesn't usually go for stray chances. He obviously thinks he has a good chance of obtaining Ishta's help in the form of a rescue."

"Hmm."

"Face it, Cameron," said Daniel looking up from the pad, "You just want to steal an al'kesh and are looking for any reason at all to do so. We will stay and wait to see what happens with Teal'c's message to Ishta."

"Okay, okay. We wait for a rescue by Wonder Woman."

Giving Mitchell an eye roll, Daniel turned back to the Ark and began pressing the buttons on the top of the lid in the newly arranged order. Again the lit up buttons faded in the order they had been pressed and nothing happened. Daniel crossed out the combination, ripped the used page off the pad and threw it carelessly behind him. On the fresh sheet of paper he began writing again.

"What do we do if they decide to have us all executed before Ishta comes?"

Putting down the pad, Daniel waved the pencil in Mitchell's face. "I imagine that we should probably use our last moments to run about like headless chickens crying out that the sky is falling." He picked the pad up again. "Do you have anything useful to ask me Cameron, or are you just bored?"

Mitchell shrugged his shoulders and stood up, spending the next few minutes wandering about the room checking every nook and cranny for anything of interest. "I am wondering," he eventually began, "if they've simply been waiting for someone like you to fall into their laps and make it work, or if they've got their own equivalent of Doctor Daniel Jackson, who has been making his own attempts to get it working?"

"They've had the device for several months according to Yusen and given how badly things have going with the Ori I imagine that haven't been idle in attempting to get it to work." The device still refused to activate.

"What exactly are you doing anyway?"

Daniel sighed. "The device requires some sort of password in order to activate it. I've been inputting a variety of words in the Ancient language into it in the hopes that I will stumble over the correct one."

"Won't these guys have tried that already?" asked Mitchell.

"Probably," agreed Daniel. "But they obviously haven't found it yet."

Squatting back down next to the Ark, Mitchell laid his left hand on one side and his right under the raised bottom. "Perhaps they weren't thinking the issue through properly."

"In what way," probed Daniel, unsure where Mitchell was going.

So unsure that before he could do anything to stop him, Mitchell had tipped the device up on its side to expose the bottom and short legs. "Shame," commented Cameron.

"What the hell are you doing?" shouted Daniel.

Cameron righted the Ark and set it safely back down. "Well, I was sorta hoping that the password would be written on the bottom."

Daniel stared incredulously at the Colonel. "Let me guess, you have your password written on the underside of your computer keyboard."

"I refuse to answer that on the basis that it might make me sound stupid," retorted Mitchell.

"Yes, well," began Daniel, "I'd rather you didn't do that again..."

He didn't get to finish as Mitchell was already opening the lid to look inside and the underside of the lid.

"Mitchell!"

"What?" complained the Air Force officer as he put the lid back down again.

"Anything could have happened when you opened that lid," admonished Daniel.

"Not likely, given you said it is not active."

"Still..."

"And," continued Cameron, "I'm in no doubt that this lot have already opened it up and peeked inside when they realised they weren't making much progress."

April 15th, 2008

0804 hrs

Eventually Mitchell had been forced to pry Daniel loose from the Ark, lest the man waste away sitting beside it trying to fathom its secrets. Escorted back to their shared accommodations, the assembled group partook of a late dinner. After that they tried to pass the evening in an entertaining manner, trading amusing anecdotes of missions off-world rather than dwell on whether or not Teal'c's message to Ishta would amount to anything.

The evening wore on and eventually all of them succumbed to the need for rest, Teal'c the last to close his eyes some time in the early morning when he was sure they were as safe as they could be for now. He was also the first to stir, his meditation the previous day reducing his need for sleep. The Jaf'fa had risen and stretched, surveying the sleeping forms of his allies as he did so.

Soon the others had begun waking up and banging on the door to the room in order to ask for permission from the guards to be taken somewhere to make use of the facilities. There was much clothing rearrangement, as everyone tried to tidy their clothes, after having been slept in, and Teal'c had been forced to admit to himself that he was beginning to smell a bit ripe. So was everyone else for that matter. They were lucky that the air conditioning of the complex seemed to mitigate much of the smell that eight unclean people could produce.

What they all now waited on was the arrival of breakfast, well aware that there was a good chance that the Jaf'fa, that Teal'c had passed a message onto, would return with word from Ishta. It was because of that they were all somewhat crestfallen when breakfast did arrive, brought by an entirely different set of Jaf'fa warriors.

The group at in relative silence, only short conversations occurring sporadically between people as they ate.

"No message," Mitchell eventually observed between mouthfuls of fruit.

"Indeed," agreed Teal'c. "That does not yet make it a matter of concern."

"It doesn't?" asked Evans. "While you and Doctor Jackson may have a stay of execution, does such a moratorium extend to the rest of us? After all, why keep us alive if they can learn everything they need to know from you two."

"I am confident we will hear from Ishta before then," the Jaf'fa stated confidently before biting into a hunk of bread.

Daniel gave Mitchell a curious look.

"What?" mumbled Cameron with a mouthful of food.

"Sir, that's disgusting," observed Potter.

Mitchell swallowed hastily. "What, Daniel?"

"Nothing," said Daniel, playing with his food. "I'm just surprised that you haven't suggest your 'steal an al'kesh' plan again."

Putting down his bowl, Mitchell huffed. "Look, as I see it this is how things stand. One, we are all prisoners here, no matter how well we are treated. In my mind that means we should _always_ be on the look out for a means of escape. Two, they've found the Ark of Truth for us, so any escape has to encompass getting it and taking it with us. Three, from Vala we know there is no stargate on this planet, which means Ishta or no, we will have to have a ship to get of this planet and it needs to be big enough to take all of us and the Ark.

From where I sit, breaking out of here, taking the Ark and stealing an al'kesh is a perfectly serviceable plan. Not perfect, but is anything ever?"

"So why didn't you bring it up, Sir?" asked Dodgeson.

"I'm done raising it as an option as I consider it the obvious plan of action. I'm giving Teal'c till lunchtime for his Ishta plan to work and after that I am _ordering_ an escape attempt," Mitchell stated firmly. "Is that understood?"

Mitchell's team all muttered their agreement. The Colonel then fixed his gaze on Williams, Vala, Teal'c and Daniel.

"I agree with escaping, ColonelMitchell," said Teal'c with a nod of his head. "Thank you for giving time for my attempt to work."

"That's fine, Teal'c. Williams?"

"I don't think we're going to learn anything more from these people, they've been pretty good at deflecting a lot of our questions. We've got confirmation that the Ark is genuine from Daniel here, so there is no longer a need to stall. Plus there is the death threat hanging over our heads. I'd rather not be here when they decide to go through with that threat," summed up Christopher Williams.

"Daniel?"

The archaeologist moved to speak, but was interrupted by Vala who had turned to Daniel. "What about Jack and Sam, Daniel?" she asked.

"What about them?"

"I told you, I've been looking for them for you. My source said that they were here on Tashur. You can't really want to leave till you know if they are here or not, surely?" she pleaded.

Daniel rested his hands on her upper arms and gave her a small, sad smile. "I haven't given up on finding them, Vala, and I want to thank you for your continued efforts to look for them."

Here Vala gave Daniel a brilliant smile and he could admit briefly to himself that she was quite good looking when she smiled like that.

"But," Daniel continued, "we've the chance to make an escape and return to the SGC with a weapon to finally defeat the Ori. I hate to sound so pragmatic, but that _has_ to taken priority over a _possible_ lead on Jack and Sam."

"Great," said Mitchell, breaking the moment, which caused Daniel to release the ex-thief and sit back with an awkward grimace on his face. "Then either way, by the end of today we will be making an escape attempt." He popped another piece of food into his mouth.

A bitterly disappointed look on her face, Vala got up and found a corner of the room and a bed on which to sulk on.

"I want to find them, really I do," Daniel said quietly and almost to himself.

He felt Teal'c put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I understand, DanielJackson. It is a sacrifice to forego finding our friends for the greater goal of defeating the Ori."

Daniel looked up at the Jaf'fa's composed face and sighed, "But Vala..."

"Vala is still living in the hope that finding your friends will bring her closer to you," observed Teal'c kindly. "It is not wise to let her live in that hope forever, for it will make a bitter, twisted creature out of her."

"You're saying I should tell her to give up?"

Teal'c shook his head. "Only if you are sure you do not wish a relationship with her. Even if you do wish to be with her, you should make her understand that finding O'Neill and ColonelCarter is not a requirement she has to fulfil in order to have a relationship with you."

"So, what do I say?"

"That depends on your feelings for her," said Teal'c and with a gentle shove he pushed Daniel in the direction of the silently crying woman.

As he watched Daniel wobble awkwardly towards Vala, Mitchell came up to his shoulder. "Playing matchmaker, Teal'c?"

"How else does one pass the time otherwise?" the Jaf'fa replied with a confident and even tone of voice.

"You wouldn't do that to me, would you?" Cameron asked, half afraid of the answer.

"Of course not, ColonelMitchell," lied Teal'c as his eyes fixed on Major Potter who was talking to Williams.

It was at this point that the door to the room slid open and four female Jaf'fa took up positions at the now open entrance. The eight occupants all turned as one to look. The Jaf'fa that Teal'c had passed his message onto came into the room and approached the Jaf'fa member of SG-1.

"Your message was received and understood."

"It was?" Daniel asked, pushing his way forward to stand next to Teal'c and Mitchell.

"Indeed."

"And?" asked Mitchell.

Another figure swept into the chamber, revealing itself to be Ishta in her full Jaf'fa garb and an amused grin on her face. "There's not really much point in expecting me to provide you all with a means of escape from here. After all, I am a part of the group holding you prisoner."


End file.
